Peter Ackroyd

Two apparently harmless women reside in cottages one building apart in the idyllic English village of Little Camborne. Miss Finch and Miss Swallow, cousins, have put their pasts behind them and settled into conventional country life. But when a mysterious foreigner, Theodore Cadmus - from a Mediterranean island nobody has heard of - moves into the middle cottage, the safe monotony of their lives is shattered. Soon, long-hidden secrets and long-held grudges threaten to surface, drawing all into a vortex of subterfuge, theft, violence, mayhem . . . and murder.

Istorija Anglii — eto nepreryvnoe dvizhenie i chereda postojannykh izme-nenij. No vsju istoriju Anglii nachinaja s pervobytnosti pronizyvaet preemstvennost, gak chto glavnoe v nej — ne izmenenija, a postojanstvo. Do sikh por v Anglii chuvstvuetsja nerazryvnaja svjaz s proshlym, s traditsijami i obychajami. Do sikh por eta strana, kotoraja vsegda byla edinym tselym, soprotivljaetsja izmenenijam v ljubom aspekte zhizni. Piter Akrojd pokazyvaet istoki vekovoj neizmennosti Anglii, ee konservatizma i priverzhennosti proshlomu.V etoj knige pokazana istorija Anglii ot perioda neolita, pervykh poselenij i postrojki Stounkhendzha do vozvedenija srednevekovykh soborov, formirovanija vseobschego prava i kontsa pravlenija pervogo korolja dinastii Tjudorov Genrikha VII. Povestvovanie vedetsja o posledovatelnykh volnakh zakhvatchikov — rimljan, vikingov, saksov i normannov, o vojujuschikh koroljakh, o mezhdousobitsakh vnutri strany i o chuzhezemnykh vojnakh. V trude Akrojda, kotorogo po pravu schitajut odnim iz luchshikh anglijskikh literatorov, vossozdaetsja ne tolko politicheskaja istorija, budni korolevskikh osob i peripetii ikh vzaimootnoshenij, no i povsednevnaja zhizn prostykh ljudej s ee traditsijami, obychajami i materialnoj kulturoj. Solidnyj istoriko-literaturnyj trud, snabzhennyj 51 tsvetnoj illjustratsiej, predstavit interes dlja shirokogo kruga chitatelej.

The fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd's enthralling History of England, beginning in 1688 with a revolution and ending in 1815 with a famous victory. In Revolution, Peter Ackroyd takes readers from William of Orange's accession following the Glorious Revolution to the Regency, when the flamboyant Prince of Wales ruled in the stead of his mad father, George III, and England was--again--at war with France, a war that would end with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Late Stuart and Georgian England marked the creation of the great pillars of the English state. The Bank of England was founded, as was the stock exchange; the Church of England was fully established as the guardian of the spiritual life of the nation, and parliament became the sovereign body of the nation with responsibilities and duties far beyond those of the monarch. It was a revolutionary era in English letters, too, a time in which newspapers first flourished and the English novel was born. It was an era in which coffee houses and playhouses boomed, gin flowed freely, and in which shops, as we know them today, began to proliferate in towns and villages. But it was also a time of extraordinary and unprecedented technological innovation, which saw England utterly and irrevocably transformed from a country of blue skies and farmland to one of soot and steel and coal. Ackroyd is the author of the first, second, and third volumes of his History of England, Foundation, Tudors, and Rebellion.

Two apparently harmless women reside in cottages one building apart in the idyllic English village of Little Camborne. Miss Finch and Miss Swallow, cousins, have put their pasts behind them and settled into conventional country life. But when a mysterious foreigner, Theodore Cadmus - from Caldera, a Mediterranean island nobody has heard of - moves into the middle cottage, the safe monotony of their lives is shattered.The fates of the two cousins and Mr Cadmus, and those of Little Camborne and Caldera, become inextricably enmeshed. Long-hidden secrets and long-held grudges threaten to surface, drawing all into a vortex of subterfuge, theft, violence, mayhem . . . and murder.

Sheltering from a summer downpour, you encounter the ghost of Charles Dickens. Join him for a chat in the inn beloved by Mr Pickwick and be swept away by his vigour, warmth and humanity. You’ll feel as if you’ve known him all your life. The great novelist Charles Dickens attracted international adulation on an unprecedented scale. He cultivated a genial intimacy with his readers, and after he died many of his admirers felt that they had lost a personal friend. Sit back and listen to this master conversationalist talk about everything from work in a boot-polish factory to lecture tours in America. Who could possibly ask for more?

Uncover the intricate past of England in Peter Ackroyd's acclaimed volume, Dominion, a crucial part of his sweeping History of England series. This charismatic narrative opens with the aftermath of Waterloo in 1815 and concludes with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901.Ackroyd masterfully recounts the era of George IV, whose rule witnessed staunch resistance to reform, and that of 'Sailor King' William IV, an epoch which marked significant modernisation and the abolition of slavery.When eighteen-year-old Queen Victoria's took the throne, a period of astonishing technological breakthroughs and innovation – such as steam railways and the telegraph. Yet, beneath the progress, Ackroyd unflinchingly reveals the harsh reality of the ordinary working classes mired in poverty whilst the industrial revolution flourishes around them.It was a time that saw a flowering of great literature, too. As the Georgian era gave way to that of Victoria, readers could delight not only in the work of Byron, Shelley and Wordsworth but also the great nineteenth-century novelists: the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Mrs Gaskell, Thackeray, and, of course, Dickens, whose work has become synonymous with Victorian England. Finally, Ackroyd illustrates the British Empire's global expansion, reflecting Britannia's iron rule over the waves, the shockwaves of which are still felt today.

The fifth instalment in Peter Ackroyds acclaimed and bestselling six-volume History of England. &b>&/b>

Loved and hated in equal measure, London was for centuries the world's greatest city. Its streets, teeming with history, have always worn a variety of influences, reflecting the diverse crowds who have walked them. Its citizens have witnessed everything from pilgrimages, celebrations, acts of heroism and moments of religious contemplation to riots, executions, grisly murders and disastrous plagues and fires. Drawing on letters, diaries and memoirs of London's most interesting inhabitants and visitors, this anthology compiled by acclaimed historian Thomas Wright and with an introduction by Peter Ackroyd tells the story of the city from its earliest years.Here you will find John Evelyn's famous account of the Great Fire in 1666, Dickens's brilliant evocation of the Gordon Riots of 1780, an eyewitness description of the execution of Charles I, and Churchill's recollections of the Blitz. There are also less familiar, though no less vivid, excerpts, which provide an entertaining, sometimes risqué glimpse into the life, customs and morals of this great city.

A history of the development of London as a European epicenter of queer life. In Queer City, the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way-through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman Londinium, the city was dotted with lupanaria ("wolf dens" or public pleasure houses), fornices (brothels), and thermiae (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure. Ackroyd takes us right into the hidden history of the city; from the notorious Normans to the frenzy of executions for sodomy in the early nineteenth century. He journeys through the coffee bars of sixties Soho to Gay Liberation, disco music, and the horror of AIDS. Ackroyd reveals the hidden story of London, with its diversity, thrills, and energy, as well as its terrors, dangers, and risks, and in doing so, explains the origins of all English-speaking gay culture. Praise for Queer City: "Spanning centuries, the book is a fantastically researched project that is obviously close to the author's heart.... An exciting look at London's queer history and a tribute to the "various human worlds maintained in the city's] diversity despite persecution, condemnation, and affliction."--Kirkus Reviews " Ackroyd's] work is highly anecdotal and near encyclopedic . . . the book is fascinating in its careful exposition of the singularities--and commonalities--of gay life, both male and female. Ultimately it is, as he concludes, a celebration as well as a history," --Booklist "A witty history-cum-tribute to gay London, from the Roman "wolf dens" through Oscar Wilde and Gay Pride marches to the present day," --ShelfAwareness

Vtorye izobretateli nichego ne stojat! Isaak NjutonO chem knigaIsaak Njuton - velichajshij genij, chi nauchnye vzgljady navsegda izmenili nash mir. Kakim chelovekom on byl? Kakie obstojatelstva podtolknuli ego k znamenitym otkrytijam? Priznannyj master biograficheskogo zhanra Piter Akrojd rasskazyvaet istoriju zhizni syna prostogo zemlevladeltsa, kotoryj v vozraste 24 let uzhe pridumal ischislenie s pomoschju beskonechno malykh velichin, rasschepil belyj svet na sostavljajuschie tsveta i pristupil k rabote nad teoriej vsemirnogo tjagotenija. Iz knigi, polnoj istoricheskikh podrobnostej, vy uznaete, pochemu Njuton napisal "Matematicheskie nachala" na latyni, zachem on otlozhil izdanie "Optiki" na 30 let, kak borolsja s falshivomonetchikami na postu khranitelja Monetnogo dvora i kak izmenil printsip nauchnogo issledovanija, buduchi predsedatelem Korolevskogo nauchnogo obschestva. Avtor sozdaet portret velikogo uchenogo - cheloveka chestoljubivogo, neustupchivogo i bezgranichno predannogo nauke. Pochemu kniga dostojna prochtenijaPiter Akrojd s prisuschej emu uvlechennostju i strastju vossozdaet v melchajshikh detaljakh zhizn vydajuschegosja sootechestvennika Isaaka Njutona. Avtor ispolzuet pisma, dnevniki i drugie istoricheskie dokumenty, kotorye pomogajut ponjat kak neprostoj kharakter uchenogo, tak i sut ego revoljutsionnykh otkrytij. Kak syn zemlevladeltsa stal pervym uchenym, kotoryj poluchil rytsarskij titul? Istorija s jablokom - vydumka ili pravda? Pochemu ego na dukh ne perenosil pervyj korolevskij astronom i direktor Grinvichskoj observatorii Dzhon Flemstid? Dlja kogo eta knigaDlja tekh, kto interesuetsja istoriej otkrytij Njutona i epokhoj stanovlenija klassicheskoj mekhaniki. Kto avtorPiter Akrojd - anglijskij pisatel, blestjaschij stilist, znatok britanskikh drevnostej, gorodskikh tajn i literaturnykh zagadok. Avtor bolee polusotni knig, napisannykh v takikh zhanrakh, kak novaja goticheskaja proza, satiricheskaja antiutopija, istoricheskij roman, alternativnaja istorija. Akrojd sozdaet literaturno-biograficheskie romany, uvlekatelnye dlja obychnogo chitatelja i poznavatelnye dazhe dlja spetsialistov. Ego zhizneopisanija velikikh sootechestvennikov: Dikkensa, Miltona, Njutona, Uajlda, Shekspira - eto zakhvatyvajuschie istorii o genijakh, vremeni, v kotorom oni zhili, i ljudjakh, kotorye ikh okruzhali. Kljuchevye slova Isaak Njuton, biografija, matematika, fizika, otkrytija, zakon vsemirnogo pritjazhenija, izobretenija. OtzyvyAkrojd khorosh v opisanii slozhnoj lichnosti Njutona - pochti stol zhe originalnoj, kak i ego ubezhdenija.Martin Gardner, matematik i populjazator nauki, pisatel Prekrasno i zakhvatyvajusche napisano.BBC HistoryIssledovanie Akrojda zhizni Njutona izlozheno prosto i so vkusom.The GuardianZamechatelnaja rabota... Eto velikolepno napisannaja kniga, prevoskhodnaja po strukture i po ispolneniju.Spectator

Revolution, the fourth volume of Peter Ackroyd's enthralling History of England begins in 1688 with a revolution and ends in 1815 with a famous victory. In it, Ackroyd takes readers from William of Orange's accession following the Glorious Revolution to the Regency, when the flamboyant Prince of Wales ruled in the stead of his mad father, George III, and England was – again – at war with France, a war that would end with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.Late Stuart and Georgian England marked the creation of the great pillars of the English state. The Bank of England was founded, as was the stock exchange, the Church of England was fully established as the guardian of the spiritual life of the nation and parliament became the sovereign body of the nation with responsibilities and duties far beyond those of the monarch. It was a revolutionary era in English letters, too, a time in which newspapers first flourished and the English novel was born. It was an era in which coffee houses and playhouses boomed, gin flowed freely and in which shops, as we know them today, began to proliferate in our towns and villages. But it was also a time of extraordinary and unprecedented technological innovation, which saw England utterly and irrevocably transformed from a country of blue skies and farmland to one of soot and steel and coal.

Peter Ackroyd has been praised as one of the greatest living chroniclers of Britain and its people. In Rebellion, he continues his dazzling account of the history of England, beginning with the progress south of the Scottish king, James VI, who on the death of Elizabeth I became the first Stuart king of England, and ending with the deposition and flight into exile of his grandson, James II. The Stuart monarchy brought together the two nations of England and Scotland into one realm, albeit a realm still marked by political divisions that echo to this day. More importantly, perhaps, the Stuart era was marked by the cruel depredations of civil war, and the killing of a king. Shrewd and opinionated, James I was eloquent on matters as diverse as theology, witchcraft, and the abuses of tobacco, but his attitude to the English parliament sowed the seeds of the division that would split the country during the reign of his hapless heir, Charles I. Ackroyd offers a brilliant, warts-and-all portrayal of Charles's nemesis, Oliver Cromwell, Parliament's great military leader and England's only dictator, who began his career as a political liberator but ended it as much of a despot as "that man of blood," the king he executed. England's turbulent seventeenth century is vividly laid out before us, but so too is the cultural and social life of the period, notable for its extraordinarily rich literature, including Shakespeare's late masterpieces, Jacobean tragedy, the poetry of John Donne and Milton and Thomas Hobbes's great philosophical treatise, Leviathan. In addition to its account of England's royalty, Rebellion also gives us a very real sense of the lives of ordinary English men and women, lived out against a backdrop of constant disruption and uncertainty.

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Peter Ackroyd. The Canterbury Tales - A Retelling The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. In a long list of works, including "Troilus and Criseyde", "House of Fame", "Parliament of Fowls", the Canterbury Tales is Chaucer's magnum opus, and a towering achievement of Western culture.

Step into the tumultuous age of Stuart England with Peter Ackroyd's enlightening Civil War. Beginning with James I, the first Scottish king of England, it tracks an era of massive upheaval, ending with the dramatic flight of his grandson, James II, into exile.Civil War transports you to the heart of the 17th-century Britain, where you meet figures like James I with his shrewd perspectives on diverse matters, and Charles I, whose inept rule ignited the flames of the English Civil War. Ackroyd offers a brilliant – warts and all – portrayal of Charles's nemesis Oliver Cromwell, Parliament's great military leader and England's only dictator, who began his career as a political liberator but ended it as much of a despot as the king he executed.Beyond this political turmoil, Ackroyd also explores the rich cultural and literary contributions of the Jacobean era. This was a world where Shakespeare's masterpieces were penned, John Donne weaved his poetry and Thomas Hobbes crafted his philosophical marvel, Leviathan. Most importantly, get a glimpse of the extraordinary lives of common English men and women, their existence seeped in constant disruption and uncertainty. Civil War is a stirring account of a pivotal epoch, making it a must-read for history enthusiasts.

The director holding the camera as well as acting in front of it?Peter Ackroyd's new biography turns the spotlight on Chaplin's life as well as his work, from his humble theatrical beginnings in music halls to winning an honorary Academy Award.

Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain's most acclaimed writers, brings the age of the Tudors to vivid life in this monumental book in his The History of England series. Tudors is the story of Henry VIII's relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir; of how the brief reign of the teenage king, Edward VI, gave way to the violent reimposition of Catholicism and the stench of bonfires under "Bloody Mary." It tells, too, of the long reign of Elizabeth I, which, though marked by civil strife, plots against her, and even an invasion force, finally brought stability. Above all, it is the story of the English Reformation and the making of the Anglican Church. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, England was still largely feudal and looked to Rome for direction; at its end, it was a country where good governance was the duty of the state, not the church, and where men and women began to look to themselves for answers rather than to those who ruled them.

Following on from Foundation, Tudors is the second volume in Peter Ackroyd's astonishing series, The History of England.Rich in detail and atmosphere and told in vivid prose, Tudors recounts the transformation of England from a settled Catholic country to a Protestant superpower. It is the story of Henry VIII's cataclysmic break with Rome, and his relentless pursuit of both the perfect wife and the perfect heir; of how the brief reign of the teenage king, Edward VI, gave way to the violent reimposition of Catholicism and the stench of bonfires under 'Bloody Mary'. It tells, too, of the long reign of Elizabeth I, which, though marked by civil strife, plots against the queen and even an invasion force, finally brought stability.Above all, however, it is the story of the English Reformation and the making of the Anglican Church. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, England was still largely feudal and looked to Rome for direction; at its end, it was a country where good governance was the duty of the state, not the church, and where men and women began to look to themselves for answers rather than to those who ruled them.

As well as his enduring masterpieces, The Moonstone â?? often called the first true detective novel â?? and the sensational The Woman in White, he produced an intriguing array of lesser-known works.

In this vividly descriptive short study, Peter Ackroyd tunnels down through the geological layers of London, meeting the creatures that dwell in darkness and excavating the lore and mythology beneath the surface. There is a Bronze Age trackway below the Isle of Dogs, Anglo-Saxon graves rest under St. Pauls, and the monastery of Whitefriars lies beneath Fleet Street. To go under London is to penetrate history, and Ackroyd's book is filled with the stories unique to this underworld: the hydraulic device used to lower bodies into the catacombs in Kensal Green cemetery; the door in the plinth of the statue of Boadicea on Westminster Bridge that leads to a huge tunnel packed with cables for gas, water, and telephone; the sulphurous fumes on the Underground's Metropolitan Line. Highly imaginative and delightfully entertaining, London Under is Ackroyd at his best.

London Under is an atmospheric, imaginative introduction to everything that goes on under London, from original springs and streams and Roman amphitheatres to Victorian sewers, gang hideouts and modern Underground stations.