Kirjahaku

A beautifully illustrated companion to the Royal family throughout historySpanning ten dynasties of England's monarchs, The Kings and Queens of England presents portraits and potted biographies of England's monarchs. Spanning from the Normans through to the House of Windsor, this exquisite little book captures the personalities behind the crowns and records the landmarks, traditions and events of each reign.

For hundreds of years the secrets of the tower were concealed. Until now...In 1179, King Louis VII of France came to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St Thomas Becket. He brought a fabulous gift with him: A magnificent, blood-red ruby.For hundreds of years, the R gale de France held pride of place at Becket's tomb in the cathedral. Richard the Lionheart, Chaucer, Henry V and Richard III all admired the jewel as they prayed at the shrine. The ruby vanished during the reign of Henry VIII, but people kept coming to see the place where Becket was murdered.Over everyone's head loomed Bell Harry, the cathedral's three hundred feet tall tower. After a German bombing raid of 1 June 1942, the tower survived, but a Luftwaffe bomb revealed a hidden tunnel leading straight towards the cathedral. When three American soldiers decided to investigate, they had no idea what they would find...Bell Harry is a captivating tale of the echoes of history, perfect for fans of Wilbur Smith and Robert Harris.

Unlike 1945, the First World War did not end neatly with the unconditional surrender of the Germans. After a dramatic week of negotiations, military offensives and the beginning of a Communist revolution, the German Imperial regime collapsed. The Kaiser fled to Holland. The Allies eventually granted an armistice to a new German government, and at 11.00hrs on 11 November, the guns officially ceased fire, but only after 11,000 casualties had been sustained - more than on D-Day The story of this remarkable day has never been told properly, and yet the roll call of eyewitnesses who left us their impressions includes Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Harry S Truman, Anthony Eden, Marie Curie, Maurice Chevalier, Richard Strauss - and future famous generals MacArthur, Patton and Montgomery.From the generals' headquarters to the frontline trenches, from the factories to the farms, Nicholas Best reveals the twists and turns that led to the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

'A gripping account of the last days of World War II... It reads like a thriller, informs like a scholar and is not to be missed.' - Randall Hansen, author of Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany 1942-45On 28 April 1945 Benito Mussolini was dragged from his mistress's bed and executed. Just two days later, surrounded by the Soviet Army, Adolf Hitler put a gun to his head and committed suicide. Living through the pivotal five days that saw the war in Europe draw to an end were a collection of individuals who already were, or would go on to be some of the most recognized faces in the world.Drawing on a wealth of unfamiliar material and first-hand accounts, Nicholas Best tells the compelling tale of those who witnessed the final days of the war in Europe, from Jack Kennedy to Bob Dole, recuperating in an Italian hospital, and Private Henry Kissinger, back on German soil for the first time since his family fled before the war. Racked with depression, Spike Milligan swigged stolen champagne while Audrey Hepburn was starving in Holland. Roman Polanski was playing with grenades in Krakow and a future Pope was on his way home, terrified of being shot for deserting the Wehrmacht.Blending historical discourse with the thoughts and reactions of both famous and ordinary individuals, Five Days that Shocked the World is an insightful look at the most dramatic 120 hours in history.