John Christopher

Cornwall marks the extreme south-western extent of Brunel’s kingdom and the county is surprisingly rich in his works. The Royal Albert Bridge, which crosses the River Tamar, connected the broad gauge network with the Cornwall and West Cornwall railways – both engineered by Brunel – to take the trains coming from Paddington all the way to Penzance via a series of over sixty spectacular timber viaducts. The original viaducts have gone now, either modified or replaced over the years, but in many cases the masonry piers remain like rows of monolithic sentinels. As a result there is much to reward the Brunel hunter, including the branch line to Falmouth and many surviving examples of his railway stations. There are other connections, literally. His Great Eastern steamship was the first vessel to successfully lay a telegraphic cable to connect Europe and the USA – a story told at the historic Porthcurno Telegraph Museum near Land’s End. John Christopher, an acknowledged expert on Brunel, takes us on a tour of Cornwall, exploring his works in the county. This is the latest in a series of books which are about rediscovering Brunel’s works in your area.

Will must defeat the Tripods once and for all in this third book of a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. After being held captive in the City of Gold and Lead--the capital, where the creatures that control the mechanical, monstrous Tripods live--Will believes that he's learned everything he needs to know to destroy them. He has discovered the source of their power, and with this new knowledge, Will and his friends plan to return to the City of Gold and Lead to take down the Masters once and for all. Although Will and his friends have planned everything down to the minute, the Masters still have surprises in store. And with the Masters' plan to destroy Earth completely, Will may have just started the war that will end it all.

Experience the beginning of the Tripods' reign in this prequel to the classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. When it comes to alien invasions, bad things come in threes. Three landings: one in England, one in Russia, and one in the United States. Three long legs, crushing everything in their paths, with three metallic arms, snacking out to embrace--and then discard--their helpless victims. Three evil beings, called Tripods, which will change life on Earth forever.

Will must defeat the Tripods once and for all in this third book of a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. After being held captive in the City of Gold and Lead--the capital, where the creatures that control the mechanical, monstrous Tripods live--Will believes that he's learned everything he needs to know to destroy them. He has discovered the source of their power, and with this new knowledge, Will and his friends plan to return to the City of Gold and Lead to take down the Masters once and for all. Although Will and his friends have planned everything down to the minute, the Masters still have surprises in store. And with the Masters' plan to destroy Earth completely, Will may have just started the war that will end it all.

The Tripods' rule is complete: the classic alien trilogy and its prequel are now available in a collectible hardcover boxed set. In Will's world, everything is controlled by the Tripods--huge, three-legged machines that descended upon Earth long ago. Most people unquestioningly accept the Tripods' power, but Will is not most people. Journey with him in this collection of all four books in John Christopher's beloved classic sci-fi dystopian series, now available as a hardcover boxed set. Includes: The White MountainsThe City of Gold and LeadThe Pool of FireWhen the Tripods Came

Experience the beginning of the Tripods' reign in this prequel to the classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. When it comes to alien invasions, bad things come in threes. Three landings: one in England, one in Russia, and one in the United States. Three long legs, crushing everything in their paths, with three metallic arms, snacking out to embrace--and then discard--their helpless victims. Three evil beings, called Tripods, which will change life on Earth forever.

The LBSCR was the main route connecting London with Brighton and the pleasures of the South Coast resorts. In this latest volume Bradshaw takes us on the journey and, via the numerous branch lines, also explores the coastal lines, westwards to Chichester and eastwards, on the Brighton and Lewes branch to Eastbourne, St Leonards and Hastings. The network of branch lines within Surrey and Sussex reaches a number of destinations including Croydon, Redhill, Reigate, Dorking, Guildford, Epsom, East Grinstead, Horsham, Uckfield and Battle, and in the north of Surrey the LSWR loop takes in Richmond and Kew. ‘Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.’ Punch, in praise of Bradshaw’s publications. Bradshaw’s guide was published in 1863, not that long after most of the railway network had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. Local author and railway expert Simon Jeffs accompanies Bradshaw’s original text with contemporary images and many new colour photographs of the same journeys today.

This superb collection of wartime colour photographs brings the Luftwaffe – its aircraft and personnel – to life in a dramatically vivid way. Colour photography was still a rare thing in the 1930s and 1940s. Various systems had been tried, but it was the Germans who had the greatest success with their Agfacolor process. This meant that colour images could be produced with basic darkroom equipment, even close to the action. As a result the members of the Propaganda Kompanie, armed with Leica cameras and the new Agfacolor film, were able to capture aspects of the Luftwaffe’s operations in a way never seen before. The resulting pictures were published in a number of magazines, including the Luftwaffe’s Der Adler, as well as in books aimed at the home front audience. John Christopher has compiled this fascinating selection of wartime images of the Luftwaffe in colour.

The London & Birmingham Railway was the first major line in Britain and it was the greatest achievement of its engineer, Robert Stephenson, the man who, together with his father George, had set the age of the railway in motion with their pioneering achievements. The route presented a number of significant challenges, starting with the Camden Incline leading out of Euston up to the Primrose Hill Tunnel, followed by a number of other works including the Watford Tunnel, the Tring Cutting, Wolverton Viaduct and the notoriously troublesome Kilsby Tunnel. It is the first section of today’s West Coast Main Line. ‘Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.’ Punch, in praise of Bradshaw’s publications. Bradshaw’s guide was published in 1863, not that long after most of the railway network had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. John and Jay Christopher present Bradshaw’s original text accompanied by contemporary images and many new colour photographs of the same journey today.

Once described as the worst tank that ever won a war it was built in the States by car factories, railway works and vast purpose-built factories. The M4 Sherman saw service in all theatres of the Second World War as well as in later conflicts in Korea and Israel. It came in many variants. The British gave it a bigger gun, they made 'funnies' that could throw flames or swim ashore and wade rivers or ditches, they were used to lay bridges, clear minefields and even launch rockets. Many Sherman's were sold overseas to countries such as Uganda, Italy, Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico.

Infinitely flexible, they have appeared in short, medium and long wheelbase variants, with a host of body styles and conversions for everything from sixwheeled fire engines to motor homes. It is more than sixty years since the prototype was built in 1948 and the Land Rover of today still resembles the original – although creature comforts may be more evident on the latest Defender models. Whatever form it takes, the Land Rover is one of the few vehicles that can be found on every continent of the world, and it is said that around 70 per cent of all Land Rovers ever made are still in daily use. Multiple Land Rover owner John Christopher tells the story of the ‘proper’ Landys, the Series I, II, IIA, III and the Defender. He also looks at the FCs, the military and emergency service vehicles, special projects, off-roading and the celebrity cars.

This fourth volume of illustrated Bradshaw's Guides takes the traveller from the London Bridge and Victoria stations via the former South Eastern Railway to the 'watering places' of the coast of Kent. Along the way the train calls in at a number of locations including Greenwich, Woolwich, Gravesend, Rochester, Chatham, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Deal, Dover and Folkstone. The various branch lines also take in Tunbridge Wells, Battle and Hastings as well as the cathedral city of Canterbury. 'Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.' Punch, in praise of Bradshaw's publications. Bradshaw's guide was published in 1863, very shortly after the first batch of railways in the regions had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. Bradshaw's original text is accompanied by contemporary images and many new photographs of the same journey today provided by local man, and rail expert, Simon Jeffs.

1914: the first year of the 'war to end all wars', documented through old photographs. In 1914, after more than a decade of sabre-rattling, arms races and localised wars, mainland Europe erupted into the greatest war man had ever seen. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand saw the beginning of a conflict that was, according to some, going to be over by Christmas but which, in reality, lasted over five years. With battles on all fronts, from Russia to the Falklands, West Africa to China and the Middle East, at sea, on land and by the fledgling air forces of the world, 1914's war culminated in the famous football match on the Western Front on Christmas Day, but also saw the invasion of neutral Belgium, the Battle of the Marne and the sinking of the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse. The photographs tell the story of the world at war in a graphic and telling way. The First World War changed the art of war forever, and not in a nice way. John Christopher and Campbell McCutcheon document the horrors of war in the photographs of those times.

Based on a confidential wartime British Government report, this in-depth dossier details the inner workings of Organisation Todt, which not only built the Reichsautobahns, but also Germany's Siegfried Line and the Atlantic Wall. Founded by the charismatic Fritz Todt, the OT was responsible for the construction of all of the major military works across Europe - from the Siegfried Line and Atlantic Wall, to the U-Boat pens and V1 and V2 weapon sites. When Fritz Todt died in a fl ying accident in 1942 he was succeeded by Hitler's chief architect, Albert Speer, who was also appointed as Reich Minister of Armaments and War Production. Although the OT was not a military organization as such, it literally underpinned the Nazis' stranglehold on the occupied territories. Not just through the fortifications but also through the systematic and highly controversial use of enforced labour drawn from the populations of the vanquished countries. At its peak the OT consisted of a force of almost two million men and women, and it is through the depth of detail revealed in this handbook that we discover the largely untold human story.

Will and his friends return to the City of the Tripods--and risk their lives--in this second book of a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. When Will and his friends arrived at the White Mountains, they thought everything would be okay. They'd found a safe haven where the mechanical monsters called Tripods could not find them. But once there, they wonder about the world around them and how they are faring against the machines. In order to save everyone else, Will and his friends want to take down the Tripods once and for all. That means journeying to the Tripod capital: the City of Gold and Lead. Although the journey will be difficult, the real danger comes once Will is inside the city, where Tripods roam freely and humans are even more enslaved than they are on the outside. Without anyone to help him, Will must learn the secrets of the Tripods--and how to take them down--before they figure out that he's a spy...and he can only pretend to be brainwashed for so long.

Monstrous machines rule the Earth, but a few humans are fighting for freedom in this repackaged start to a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave. Will Parker never dreamed he would be the one to rebel against the Tripods. With the approach of his thirteenth birthday, he expected to attend his Capping ceremony as planned and to become connected to the Tripods--huge three-legged machines--that now control all of Earth. But after an encounter with a strange homeless man called Beanpole, Will sets out for the White Mountains, where people are said to be free from the control of the Tripods. But even with the help of Beanpole and his friends, the journey is long and hard. And with the Tripods hunting for anyone who tries to break free, Will must reach the White Mountains fast. But the longer he's away from his home, the more the Tripods look for him...and no one can hide from the monstrous machines forever.

Monstrous machines rule the Earth, but a few humans are fighting for freedom in this repackaged start to a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave. Will Parker never dreamed he would be the one to rebel against the Tripods. With the approach of his thirteenth birthday, he expected to attend his Capping ceremony as planned and to become connected to the Tripods--huge three-legged machines--that now control all of Earth. But after an encounter with a strange homeless man called Beanpole, Will sets out for the White Mountains, where people are said to be free from the control of the Tripods. But even with the help of Beanpole and his friends, the journey is long and hard. And with the Tripods hunting for anyone who tries to break free, Will must reach the White Mountains fast. But the longer he's away from his home, the more the Tripods look for him...and no one can hide from the monstrous machines forever.

Will and his friends return to the City of the Tripods--and risk their lives--in this second book of a classic alien trilogy ideal for fans of Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. When Will and his friends arrived at the White Mountains, they thought everything would be okay. They'd found a safe haven where the mechanical monsters called Tripods could not find them. But once there, they wonder about the world around them and how they are faring against the machines. In order to save everyone else, Will and his friends want to take down the Tripods once and for all. That means journeying to the Tripod capital: the City of Gold and Lead. Although the journey will be difficult, the real danger comes once Will is inside the city, where Tripods roam freely and humans are even more enslaved than they are on the outside. Without anyone to help him, Will must learn the secrets of the Tripods--and how to take them down--before they figure out that he's a spy...and he can only pretend to be brainwashed for so long.

Bradshaw's Guide of 1863 was the staple book to what's what and where's where for the mid-Victorians and it gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the nineteenth century travellers. The railways themselves opened up Scotland properly to tourism for the first time, and many journeys that once took days to complete could now be undertaken in hours, bringing its many attractions within the reaches of the masses. This illustrated guide records the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the route. 'Bradshaw's Guides were invaluable in their time and they provide the modern-day reader with a fascinating insight into the nineteenth century rail traveller's experience.' Campbell McCutcheon takes us through the west coast and Highlands of Bradshaw's Scotland, using contemporary Victorian and Edwardian photographs and postcards to illustrate the scenes that the users of Bradshaw's Guide to Scotland's Railways would have experienced. This volume covers primarily the lines of the Caledonian, Glasgow & South Western, Scottish Central and Highland Railways and the geographical area of the west coast and highlands.

In addition to his high-profile railway lines, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was engineer to a number of minor and branch lines including those from Slough to Windsor, Didcot to Oxford and from there via the OWWW - generally known as the 'Old Worse & Worse' - across to Moreton, Evesham, Pershore and up through Worcester to Wolverhampton, the Gloucester to Cheltenham line, as well as the railways to Ross and Hereford, plus additional lines in Wiltshire, Somerset and South Wales. 'Seldom has the gigantic intellect of man been employed upon a work of greater utility.' Punch, in praise of Bradshaw's publications Bradshaw's guide was published in 1863, very shortly after these lines had been completed. It gives the reader a unique insight into the world of the Victorian railways and goes beyond the engineering aspects to record the sights to be seen in the towns and cities encountered along the way. Brunel expert John Christopher presents Bradshaw's original text accompanied by contemporary images and many new colour photographs of the same journey today.