Kirjahaku

It is no surprise that the Air Ministry chose an author of H.E. Bates' talents to portray the battle over the night skies of Britain whilst the war against Germany was still to reach its conclusion. For his rich prose excites and inspires as much as it informs. Bates opens his stirring story by analyzing the comparative efforts of the RAF and the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain and the decision by the Germans to turn to attacking British towns and cities, first during daytime, then, as losses mounted, at night. At first, the RAF's night fighters achieved only limited success, with the ground stations and the pilots unable to track down the intruders in the dark. But that was soon to change. The volunteers of the Royal Observer Corps became increasingly adept at identifying the movement of enemy planes by sound alone and to help the antiaircraft batteries defending London, lines of sound locators were established which measured the course and speed of the intruders to be measured, enabling the batteries to calculate the point and time that the enemy would cross the barrage line. It was a similar method of radiolocation that enabled the RAF's night fighters to hunt down the enemy bombers and to make the British night skies a deadly battleground for German machines. Whilst antiaircraft guns accounting for most of the enemy aircraft destroyed over Britain in the early months of the Blitz, as the war progressed the RAF's night fighters became increasingly effective as new technologies were adopted that enabled pilots to locate their enemies. H.E. Bates tells a tale of harrowing scenes of destruction in London, Coventry and across Britain delivered by an 'unseen' and seemingly unstoppable enemy, that gradually evolves into one of success and victory - and it is written with the consummate and concise prose of a master raconteur.

H E Bates carried a woodland in his imagination. He fell under its spell as a boy growing up in the Midlands, becoming increasingly enchanted each time he stepped below the wooded canopy. Memory magnified its mystery over the years, enriching his stories as he grew successful as a writer. But why did this place become a part of him? What are the qualities of all woodlands that make them so special? Set in Kent, Bates returns to those trees of his youth to breath life into the changing character of a single woodland year, revealing how precious they are to the English countryside. Our new edition is illustrated throughout with Agnes Miller Parker's wonderful engravings. Little Toller republishes classic books about nature and rural life.

The rich spirit of an English junk dealer and his family is challenged by the arrival of the tax collector in this humorous and heartwarming classic. Beneath the sunny, cloudless skies of Kent, the Larkin household--Pop, Ma, and their six children--enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Pop works as a junk dealer and keeps the farm to feed his brood, while Ma cooks the meals and minds the children. While the family may not seem to have much, they more than make up for it in joyous spirit--and bountiful feasts. All of that could change, however, when a stranger appears on their farm. Cedric Charlton from Inland Revenue has come to inquire why the Larkins failed to file income tax for the previous year. But Charlton's plans hit a snag when the eldest Larkin daughter, Mariette, takes a liking to him--and he to her. Now, if the Larkins and country living can charm Charlton, perhaps he will forget about every last pound they owe . . . "A pulsing comedy of country manners. A five-alarm blaze of a book. Just about perfick." --Time "A gently, anarchic wish-fulfilling daydream." --The Times (London)