Nigel Cawthorne

Delightful peeves from Victorian Britain to the Second World War, gathered together as an alternative history of Britain through moans and grumbles.

This box set brings together five brilliant titles which recount the major events of World War II, from Dunkirk to the Nuremberg trials. With breakdowns of skilful military manoeuvres, chilling accounts of Nazi organisations and astounding details from the fall of Berlin, this collection chronicles the defeat of Germany and the Axis powers. These titles are: • Great Battles of World War II by Michael Dudley • The D-Day Landings by Nigel Cawthorne • Hitler's Last Day by Richard Dargie• The Story of the SS by Al Cimino• The Nuremberg Trials by Alexander MacdonaldA great read for both military history enthusiasts and those eager to learn more about World War II.

Who is Keir Starmer? When Keir Starmer won the Labour Party Leadership election in April 2020, the expectation was that he would quickly become a fierce Leader of the Opposition as a former director of public prosecutions, human-rights barrister and genuinely keen football supporter. Instead, his performance was not as surefooted as his supporters had hoped for, or his opponents feared. The 2021 local elections and Hartlepool by-election did not resurrect the Red Wall and only in the Tory-blue South did his party make cosmetic gains. Both in Parliament and in media interviews Starmer struggled to connect with the floating or even the traditional Labour voter. His approach seemed to raise as many questions as Jeremy Corbyn's leftwing leadership. Nigel Cawthorne attended Starmer's grammar school a few years before him (and David Walliams). Sharing the same formative experience, he goes in search of the man behind the lawyer who was covered for almost three decades by a gown and horsehair wig in one of Britain's most cloistered professions.

At the age of twenty-one, the future Prince Philip wrote to a relative: 'I know you will never think much of me. I am rude and unmannerly.' This affectionate compendium, brings together many known and less well-known stories about the prince, giving an insight into the royal world where he 'traipses around' rather than being professionally qualified in 'something'. From his constantly forthright speech-making, to his fearless mocking of official ceremonies, to his teasing of Her Majesty herself, here is a truly rude celebration of daily life in royal circles.

The very best outrage from the Tunbridge Wells Advertiser, the newspaper that coined the phrase 'Disgusted from Tunbridge Wells' for grumpy complaints.

We live in an age of asymmetric warfare. Huge armies no longer face each other on the battlefield. Instead heads of major powers and lone assassins (or martyrs) target each other to pursue their agendas. President Donald Trump felt it necessary to use drones to blow away the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Qasem Soleimani-a mastermind of terrorism in the Middle East who threatened the lives of US troops-and President Barack Obama felt fully justified in sending in US Navy SEALs to take out Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. This is the nature of modern warfare. And it is only going to get worse. When nineteen-year-old Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, in 1914, he triggered the First World War. Few assassinations have had such devastating consequences, but political assassinations have always changed the world – often in ways that the assassins and their cohorts could not have predicted. The murder of John F. Kennedy left Lyndon B. Johnson free to escalate the war in Vietnam. However, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. while not derailing the demands for African American civil rights in the US, did lead many to abandoning his commitment to nonviolence and adopting more radical means. In a world globalized by social media, more lone-wolf assassins seek their fifteen minutes of fame by taking out a famous figure, while leaders of world powers have everything to gain by decapitating terrorist organizations, employing the latest surveillance technology to obliterate their leaders. There are forty-eight assassinations that changed the world in this book. Rest assured that in the coming years we will see many more.

In The Sex Files Nigel Cawthorne takes us on a stroll through the ideas that made our (great, great) grandparents turn red. Selecting the highlights from what was deemed too corrupting for public comsumption, he demonstrates what made Edwardian, Victorian and Georgian prudes squirm. We find things that range from the pornographic to the ridiculous, including: Flagellation (for 50 shades fans) Ecclesiastical erotica The Trial of Oscar Wilde

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" - Churchill on the RAF.The fate of Britain was balanced on a knife edge after Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to destroy the RAF. German aircraft outnumbered Britain's forces four to one, and the Luftwaffe was inexorably gaining the upper hand. It was touch and go whether the nation could survive.This landscape-format book presents an incredible pictorial history of the Battle of Britain. Over 200 full-page photographs reveal the twists and turns of this momentous air battle and the men and women who fought for their nation. Images feature:• The courageous 'Few' who fought from the skies, including Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson.• Local defence volunteers who prepared on the ground• The various aircraft that defined this battle, featuring the iconic Spitfire, the Hurricane and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.• Scenes of tragedy and jubilation, including the London Blitz and final VE day celebrations in Trafalgar square. These spectacular photographs are accompanied by fascinating captions and chapter text which narrates the action. Emphasising the human side to this battle, The Battle of Britain is a moving tribute to a men and women who pulled together in the face of overwhelming odds and pushed back against Adolf Hitler.

Buckingham Palace's greatest fear came true when the FBI arrested Prince Andrew's friend Jeffrey Epstein on charges of under-age sex trafficking. Just before the marriage of Kate and Wills, a snapshot of Andrew with his arm around the naked midriff of the billionaire's most articulate victim had surfaced. Despite sending stringent defamation warnings, the palace had been powerless to prevent headlines on the controversial friendship from moving in its direction like a hurricane. Prince Andrew: The End of the Monarchy and Epstein investigates the story of the key players and allegations and counter-allegations in this unique, high-stakes royal drama. It provides a gripping and uncommon insight into the hidden privileges enjoyed by global power brokers, royalty and billionaires. Transcending the life of one man, it characterises a whole institution and a way of life - the monarchy as we know it today. From 2001, Prince Andrew acted as Britain's trade envoy suddenly enjoying lavish travel and expense accounts of over a 1 million a year. In 2006, a Kazakhstan billionaire bought Sunninghill Park, the Queen's wedding gift to Andrew and Fergie, for GBP3 million over the GBP12 million asking price yet never moved into the property (it was demolished in 2016). Andrew's official involvement with UK trade came to an abrupt end in 2011 after the prince was overheard discussing Saudi bribery and bribery in Kyrgyzstan, arguing that 'people should be allowed to get on with their jobs'. And that was only the beginning as this first biography reveals.

"He is the greatest fighter alive today" Daily Express Tyson Fury is colossal - six feet nine inches tall and a whisker under 20 stones in weight. He is spectacularly fast. He has a punch that could knock over a rhino and he can dance and weave like no one since the great Muhammad Ali. When he destroyed the fearsome Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas to become two-time world heavyweight champion in February 2020, the world held its breath. Fury was born in 1988 and named after Mike Tyson, who was then the world heavyweight champion. Tyson comes from a long line of gypsy bare knuckle fighters. His father, Gypsy John Fury and grandfather, Tiger Gorman, both fought as professionals. Tyson's success has not come easily, but he has fought the terrible battles of his personal life as bravely as those in the ring. In this extraordinary biography you will read how he overcame addiction to cocaine and alcohol and lost a staggering eight stone in weight to make his comeback. His bravery in talking about his mental health problems is an inspiration to many. Now he is happy and at the top of his game. There seems little doubt that, for Tyson Fury, Gypsy King of the World, the best is yet to come...

THE ENTRALLING STORY OF THE ONLY WOMAN TO BECOME EMPEROR OF CHINA. IN THIS SENSATIONAL TRUE STORY, BESTSELLING AUTHOR NIGEL CAWTHORNE REVEALS THE DARK AND DRAMATIC STORY OF THE ONLY FEMALE EMPEROR IN CHINESE HISTORY, WU CHAO: CONCUBINE, MANIPULATOR, POLITICIAN, MURDERER AND GOD. AT THE AGE OF 13, WU CHAO WAS MADE CONCUBINE TO THE EMPEROR. SHE SKILLFULLY USED HER BEAUTY, WIT AND POWERS OF MANIPULATION TO SEDUCE HER WEIGHT TO THE THRONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL EMPIRE IN THE MEDIEVAL CHINA. RUTHLESSLY REIGNING FOR 50 YEARS, SHE PROVOKED SCANDAL UPON SCANDAL BY SETTING UP HER OWN IMPERIAL HAREM AND GIVING HER LOVERS POSITION OF POWER. THIS BOOK THROWS OPEN A WINDOW INTO THE COLORFUL WORLD OF T'ANG DYNASTY CHINA AND TO THE WOMAN WHOSE INFAMOUS BEHAVIOR USHERED IN A GOLDEN AGE IN HISTORY.

Extracts from letters, diaries and debriefs from Germans and Japanese, telling the story of World War II through their eyes.

Pirates have an almost mythical status in the public imagination - we think of rogue heroes riding the high seas and 'X marks the spot'. But is this image is flawed at best. Using contemporary sources, Nigel Cawthorne turns the spotlight on the reality of pirate life, revealing the truth behind the legends. It gives us an insight into infamous the men and women who plundered ship and shore, including Captain Kidd, Blackbeard and Mary Read. We learn of the hazy distinction between pirates and state-approved privateers who were used to maintain empire, as well as the Port Royal pirate base in Jamaica - known as the 'wickedest city in the world'. Including details of various pirate exploits, as well as their weapons, ships and unhappy victims, this fascinating read will divide fact from slippery fiction.

When bigotry and power-mania take control, disaster always follows for subjugated persons - even when the power is wielded by the Church.Witchcraft was viewed as devil-worship. Between 1450 and 1750, one hundred thousand people were accused, subject to the most bestial tortures and usually executed. Witches examines the wildfire-spread of witch hunting across Europe and America, revealing the disturbing and brutal realities of these witch hunts and their roots in misogyny and religious persecution. It includes:• Letters and trial testimonies from those charged with witchcraft, as well as some from self-proclaimed witches• Biographic detail of key witch hunters, such as Matthew Hopkins (the so-called Witchfinder General) who was responsible for hundreds of executions• Accounts of famous witch trials, from Chelmsford to SalamNigel Cawthorne doesn't shy away from the violent details of this persecution, exploring the events as they transpired, the contexts that triggered them and tracing it back to its source.Please note: This title contains descriptions of a violent and sexual nature and is not intended for younger readers. Discretion is advised.

The inside story of the world's most notorious cults.The strange and sinister world of cults is a source of endless fascination. Their secrets, rituals and shadowy hierarchies make for some of the most disturbing and shocking revelations in history. Most chilling of all is the fact that many of their followers forfeit all independence in order to carry out the often sadistic bidding of a mysterious master manipulator - and continue to defend their leader to this day. From Charles Manson, who instructed his followers to murder seven people, including a heavily pregnant Sharon Tate, to Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese doomsday cult that carried out deadly terror attacks, and the People's Temple, these cults and their leaders transfix us with their extreme ability to commit savage acts of cruelty and depravity in the name of a self-appointed higher power. Many shocking and international cults are brought to life, including:- The Manson Family- People's Temple- Colonia Dignidad- Thuggees- Aum Shinrikyo- Skopsty- Raëlism- Heaven's Gate

The Disturbing Inside Story of Women Who Are Driven to Kill Killer Women are the most disturbing yet compelling of all criminals, representing the very darkest side of humanity and subverting the conventional view of women as the weaker sex. From Elizabeth Bathory, 'The Bloody Countess' whose vampire-like tendencies terrorised sixteenth-century Hungary, to the Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and the Florida Highway Killer Aileen Wuornos, these women transfix us with their extreme ability to commit savage acts of cruelty and depravity. Most chilling is the fact that many of their victims represent the most vulnerable in society: babies, the ill and infirm, and the elderly. In some cases their methods of disposing of the corpses fall nothing short of ingenious: meet Leonarda Cianciulli, 'The Soap-Maker of Correggio', who used the fat from her victims' bodies to make soap and teacakes to sell to unsuspecting customers. These killers' backgrounds, methods and their crimes are described in forensic and gripping detail.50 terrifying cases of killer women are brought to life, including:Elizabeth Bathory 'The Bloody Countess'Amelia Dyer, The Reading Baby FarmerJane Toppan, 'Jolly Jane'Juana Barraza, The Old Lady KillerLeonarda Cianciulli, 'The Soap-Maker of Correggio'Bonnie Parker, 'Bonnie & Clyde'Rosemary WestMyra HindleyAileen Wuornos

Throughout history the English have been a warlike lot. Often we fight among ourselves - there have been a good few civil wars - and when we were not slaughtering each other, we practiced on our neighbours, the Scots, the Irish, the French . . . When that got too easy, we set off around the world to find other people to fight. This was usually done with a hubris that invited some ludicrous pratfall. In THE BEASTLY BATTLES OF OLD ENGLAND, Nigel Cawthorne takes us on a darkly humorous journey through some of our ill-advised military actions. From the war over a severed ear to a general seeking out his rival's mistresses to even the score, it is a miscellany of insufferable arrogance, reckless gallantry, stunning stupidity, massive misjudgements and general beastliness.

The tale of the British Secret Service's plot to murder Lenin to prevent him pulling Russia out of World War I, which would have allowed German soldiers from the Eastern Front to move to the Western Front and threaten to defeat British and Allied forces there.

A study of the sex killer Chris Halliwell who, having been arrested in 2011 for one murder, led police to the scene of a second. But the senior police officer blew it . . .Superintendent Steve Fulcher of Hampshire Police had not followed procedure, an error that was to see him severely censured, leading to his retirement from the force. Due to this monumental error in judgement infamous killer Christopher Halliwell could not be convicted of a second murder, despite his openly admitting having committed it. Fulcher was suspended for gross misconduct, and later quit the force. Halliwell, imprisoned for the first murder, was later convicted of the second, after a long and tortuous process of collecting new evidence. But among sixty items of women's clothing found when Halliwell's home was searched, only a few pieces belonged to his two known victims. For this and other reasons, the police, including Fulcher, remain convinced that he has killed other women known to have disappeared...This is a riveting account of a clever, dangerous and secretive killer, and of a police officer whose instincts led him to a second murder, but whose methods eventually brought about the end of his own career.