United Kingdom Books

I've purchased several copies of "Authors By Request: An Inside Look At Your Favorite Writers," as gifts for my children's teachers and student teachers. It's a wonderful gift for educators because it profiles the popular authors our kids are reading, plus offers writing tips and activities. I also bought a copy for my sister, a teacher, and for our family bookshelf. We love books at my house and this paperback really highlights some terrific writers. It's a good book at a good price.

I've purchased several copies of "Authors By Request: An Inside Look At Your Favorite Writers," as gifts for my children's teachers and student teachers. It's a wonderful gift for educators because it profiles the popular authors our kids are reading, plus offers writing tips and activities. I also bought a copy for my sister, friends that are moms, teachers, and for our family bookshelf. We love books at my house and this paperback really highlights some terrific writers. It's a good book at a good price.

Norman Wisdom touched my heart when I was just a boy and he has never let go. After reading his autobiography, DON'T LAUGH AT ME, I was moved to tears with the sadness and heartache he had to endure in his childhood days. To say Norman's life was an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement, but do not fear, for as many tears of sadness in this book, there are tenfold the number of tears of laughter.
If you like Norman now, you will want to adopt him as your grandfather by the time you read this book. A great biography, I highly recommend it.

For years Norman Wisdom has delighted audiences with his wonderfully self-depricating comedy. His remarkable story - his working-class background through to his rise to fame and top-of-the-bill appearances at the London Palladium - is charted in this the first part of his autobiography. This book scores over other showbiz biographies thanks to Wisdom's warmth, affection, and sheer humility, and, above all, this story of "working-class lad makes good" serves as an uplifting reminder to us all that, with hard work and determination, one can achieve anything.

This is a thoroughly entertaining popular history of 16-17th century English Pirate/Privateer John Ward who deserted the English navy and defected to the Ottoman empire. There he was responsible for modernizing Ottoman privateering including the use of North Atlantic ships and mixed-ethnicity/religion crews and captains. He was such a menace to Venetian shipping that his massive attempts to buy his way back to England were thwarted by the Venetian ambassador's manipulation of James I's Christian unification agenda. At the end of his life John Ward converted to Islam and remained in Ottoman North Africa. Dr. Bak's book goes on to examine how the myth of John Ward was used in English storytelling and literature for centuries after his death.

John Ward's life has fascinating episodes of deserting the English with a small boat and crew and on the way to North Africa, and even though outnumbered, capturing several larger ships and building his own fleet; capturing the largest merchant ship of its day and retrofitting it as a war-galley; his loyalty towards and respect for the men who worked under him and sailors in general (several times he went out of his way to buy European sailors out of pirate slavery). Besides it being a great story, the book is also an excellent window on early European perceptions of Islam.

BARBARY PIRATE: THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF JOHN WARD, THE MOST INFAMOUS PRIVATEER OF HIS TIME tells of a sailor who led a mass desertion in 1603, stole a civilian vessel and defected to the ottoman Empire's Tunis outpost, where he led a piracy campaign that made him the most feared privateer of his times. His many adventures and exploits became legend, and BARBARY PIRATE here separates legend from fact in a lively treatment perfect not just for history holdings but for general-interest public libraries.

I actually borrowed this book from a friend. It really is a gripping read- skillfully written, taut prose. It is always good to see a bad guy get his just deserts.

Lawrence lever is a talented writer.

I loved this book. A truly insightful look into corporate fraud way before world comEnron etc.

A great read!

In Barrier Of A Common Language: An American Looks At Contemporary British Poetry, Dana Gioia (poet, literary critic, and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Art) has assembled insightful and informative essays on British poets and poetry over the past two decades. A scholarly compilation of such varied topics as the growing disconnect between British and American poetry; fading traditions in poetic literature; and in-depth analysis of modern works, fill the pages of this astute and superbly presented anthology of criticism. Barrier Of A Common Language is a welcome and seminal contribution to academic library British Literature & Poetry reference collections and reading lists.

First of all, you have to realize Dana Gioia isn't just an average American talking about British poetry. It isn't like, say me for example. Gioia is extremely well informed and knows what he is talking about. So you get a really good collection of essays. But that is what this is, just a collection of essays that are only connected by the fact that they discuss British poets. Now don't get me wrong, these are great essays and you can't go wrong reading them, I just wish that Gioia had rewritten them to make them more cohesive as a whole, to really give us a picture of British poetry. Several of the essays were just reviews of books, and the Larkin essay was a review of Andrew Motion's biography of Larkin. Gioia would have done better to have discussed Larkin, Burgess, Ted Hughes, Amis, Dick David, Gunn, etc, like his opening essay (The Barrier of a Common Language: New British Poetry in the Eighties) and his essay on Fenton and Causley. These are well written and good essay/reviews. I just think that we would have been better served by something that was more cohesive and not just a collection of previously published essays and reviews. Still, they are good.

The tension mounts as the reporters call in their news to the radio station. It's like CNN reporting. I think this book would be useful in a school where students could take the parts of the reporters; the script is already written. Our family had fun with this unique book.

this book is easy to read and to understand. the terminology used is also teriffic. i recommend this book for information about the battle of britan to ANYONE from 4th grade to graduate school

This book is lean and mean.Very little is devoted to the battle itself,because apparently there wasn't much to it,except in intensity.It seems the English didn't have much cavalry and not enough archers either,the Normans had plenty of well trained experts in both.In addition it seems that during this period Angleland was very politically unstable and had only recently repelled 2 invasions from Norway and the Danes as well.With all the chaos maybe the Normans were a positive addition to the English gene pool.This book also explains well the history of English territorial claims on the European continent.The claims of Henry the fifth were the reassertions of territorial rights in existence since the rule of William the Conqueror.There are some excellent interpretations of the Bayeux Tapestry as well.You'll be an expert without doing the original 3 volume 2000 page set and it will cost you about 3 or 4 hours and 3 or 4 cups of coffee(or tea?).The famous English Longbowman at Agincourt is an original French(Norman) invention.True the normans didn't have the longbow at Hastings but they used the bowman in groups for mass firepower and the Saxons had their archers sprinkled throughout the ranks.When the longbow was invented and used with Norman archery tactics it made the English dominant for 200 years or so.According to this book the Normans gave the Saxons a lesson on how to use archery.

The Battle of Hastings was a key turning point in the history of Northern Europe. Together with the Battles of Fulford and Stamford Bridge, this trilogy of battles enabled the great civilization that was coming into being in Western Europe penetrate into the British Isles, when at that time were culturally and economically part of Scandanavia. Bradbury's account is the best that I have read - it is clear, concise but detailed enough to satisfy anyone who wants to find out more about the climactic battle of 1066. I loved the way he used the Bayeux Tapestry right through as a reference document. Many accounts (and I would include Frank McLynn's recent '1066 - Year of Three Battles'), use the tapestry as a secondary source only, a sure sign of the tyranny of the written word! Yet the Tapestry was made within at least twenty years of the battle on the order of one of the major participants (Bishop Odo of Bayeux, the Conqueror's half-brother). It is therefore perhaps the prime source for the battle. It is also a significant document on the weapons and tactics used, besides being a prime work of art! You feel that Bradbury is judicious and discerning on the major puzzles - Did Harold swear an oath to William? Did Edward support William's succession? What use did the English make of horses? How did Harold die? Did the Normans win the battle with a 'feigned flight'? How did the Normans use their archers? Where were the English archers? Anyone with an interest in medieval politics and military history should have this book on their shelves.

Painstakingly compiled and expertly edited by Diane Waggoner (Andrew W. Mellon foundation Curatorial Fellow in the Art Collections at The Huntington), The Beauty Of Life: William Morris & The Art Of Design is specifically devoted to the decorative artwork of William Morris, an influential leader of the British Arts and Crafts movement. Contemplative and informative essays by Pat Kirkham, Gillian Naylor, and Edward R. Bosley are added to those of Diane Waggoner and concern William Morris' diverse works of art (including his stained glass and interior decoration designs). These essays are enhanced with eye-catching, full color photographs. A joy to simply page through and savor, and presented with a deep respect for artistic traditions stretching back to medieval times and beyond, The Beauty Of Life is a superbly presented and heartily endorsed addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Art History collections.

Beautiful presentation of the work of William Morris - genius designer and illustrator of the Arts and Crafts movement. Beautiful illustrations and reproductions of his work - a great book for any student and artist as well as a graphic designer that has an appreciation for history and beauty.

This excellent guide provides reviews of well over 100 London pubs, all of which offer real ale, arranged by neighborhood into short walks of 5-7 pubs. On a recent visit to London, I found a few real gems in this guide. If you're over there, do not miss the spectacular Cittie of York, a Samuel Smith house near the Inns of Court.

I bought this book over in England after going on one the authors aletrails, he really knows his stuff about beer, but the book is really about the best pubs in terms of architecture and social history. Its not about just finding good beer, though he certainly tells you about that as well - and where the good pub grub is. Its a great offbeat guide to London and takes you to "real" places and shows you how 'real' Londeners live. Great to see its now available in America.

My wife and I used this book as a guide on travels to the West Country. We had a very enjoyable time. Very unique experience.

This book is highly informative and accurate. It is well written and descriptive. We have yet to be disappointed.

However, it may need to be updated since now over five years old.