The end of World War Two saw an intense and deeply personal struggle for mastery of the Western world amidst the ruins of Berlin. In this thrilling account, bestselling historian Giles Milton recounts epic four-year drama that would culminate in The Berlin Airlift. It is the story of the ultimate game of roulette amongst the enigmatic larger-than-life personalities from rival powers: Britain, the United States, France and the Soviet Union. Drawing on previously unknown oral and written testimonies, Checkmate in Berlin tells - as never before - a story of flawed individuals each determined to win and the first battle of the Cold War.
Call Me Gorgeous! is a fun, stylish book about a very, very strange creature.
It has a porcupine's spines and a crocodile's teeth, a chameleon's tail and a
cockerel's feet. What on earth could it be? Uncover this mysterious and
fabulous beastthrough Alexandra Milton's stunning collage.
A powerful tale of destruction, heroism and survival. Tells the largely untold story of the most dramatic and horrific events of the 20th century, the Burning of Smyrna.
In 1586, Queen Elizabeth I was enthralled by captive American Indian Manteo. Manteo was returned to his homeland as Governor, a gamble that resulted in the first English settlement in the New World. Using first-hand accounts, this book tells a story that was to have an extraordinary twist.
On an ordinary winter's day in London, 1611, a mysterious letter arrived at the offices of the East India Trading Company. It had taken some seven years for the letter to make its tortuous way to England and the merchants there were astounded by its contents... William Adams, an Englishman, had been one of only twenty-four survivors of a fleet of ships bound for Asia, and he had washed up in the forbidden land of Japan. The traders in London were even more astonished to learn that, rather than be horrified by the strange customs, Adams had fallen in love with the barbaric splendour of the country - and had decided to settle. He had forged a close friendship with the ruthless Shogun Ieyasu, taken a Japanese wife and sired a new, mixed-blood family. Adams' letter was the spark that fired up the merchants in London to plan a new expedition to the Far East, with designs to trade with the Japanese and use Adams' contacts there to forge new commercial links. SAMURAI WILLIAM illuminates a world whose horizons were rapidly expanding - eastwards.
Set in 1917, amid the chaos of the post-Russian Revolution, a unique group of British spies is secretly sent into Soviet Russia to disrupt Lenin's ambitious plot to undermine British rule in India and destabilize Western democracies. Led by the eccentric Mansfield Cumming, a monocled, one-legged sea captain with a flair for secret inks and explosives, these self-taught agents were the precursors to modern MI6. Their mission was perilous: to thwart a dangerous alliance between Soviet revolutionaries and Islamic jihadis, which posed a significant threat to the West. Operating under the loose directive of "Just don't get yourself killed," the spies engaged in a series of high-stakes operations involving murder, deception, and disguise. They infiltrated key Soviet institutions, including the Red Army and the secret police, and came alarmingly close to assassinating Lenin. Their efforts culminated in Tashkent, where they successfully unraveled Lenin's global revolutionary plans. This remarkable tale showcases how these spies reshaped intelligence work, relying on espionage and cunning rather than conventional warfare, laying the groundwork for contemporary secret services and inspiring fictional characters like James Bond and Jason Bourne. The narrative draws on recently declassified records from India Political Intelligence, offering a fresh perspective on this covert operation.
The tiny island of Run is an insignificant speck in the Indonesian archipelago--remote, tranquil, and, these days, largely ignored. Yet 370 years ago, Run's harvest of nutmeg (yielding a 3,200% profit by the time it arrived in England) made it the most lucrative of the Spice Islands, precipitating a battle between the Dutch East India Company and the British Crown. The outcome was that Britain ceded Run to Holland but in return was given Manhattan--leading to the birth of New York and to the beginning of the British Empire. This deal was due to the persistence of one man: Nathaniel Courthope and his small band of adventurers were sent to Run in October 1616, and held off the Dutch navy for four years. This book centers on the showdown between Courthope and the Dutch Governor General, and the brutal fate of mariners racing to Run to reap the huge profits of the spice trade.--From publisher description
