- Table View
- List View
In Kill Zone: Surviving as a Private Military Contractor in Iraq
by neil ReynoldsWhen Neil Reynolds was first asked in 2003 whether he’d like to work in Iraq as a private military contractor, he didn’t even know where it was on the map. But he would soon learn the ins and outs of working and surviving in one of the world’s most violent conflict zones.Reynolds was part of one of the first groups of South Africans to start private military security companies in Iraq. His refreshingly honest account tells of all the numerous challenges they faced: from finding a safe hotel in Baghdad to being forced to buy guns on the black market and dodging bullets on several hair-raising protection missions.He describes their successful low profile strategy where they tried to blend in with the local Iraqis in their choice of vehicles and clothing. Reynolds also tells the tragic story of his four South African colleagues who were kidnapped and killed in Baghdad in 2006.His candid observations and dry humour offers a unique perspective on the harsh realities of the life of a private military contractor.
In The Lion's Court: Power, Ambition and Sudden Death in the Reign of Henry VIII
by Derek WilsonDerek Wilson examines a set of relationships which illustrate just how dangerous life was in the court of the Tudor lion. He tells the interlocking stories of six men - all, curiously, called Thomas - whose ambitions and principles brought them face to face with violent death. Thomas Wolsey was an accused traitor on his way to the block when a kinder death intervened. Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell, whose convictions and policies could scarcely have been more different, both perished beneath the headman's axe. Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, would have met the same end had the king's own death not brought him an eleventh-hour reprieve. Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, though outliving the monarch, perished as a result of that war of ambitions and ideologies which rumbled on after 1547. Wriothesley succumbed to poison of either body or mind in the aftermath of a failed coup. Cranmer went to the stake as a heretic at the insistence of Mary Tudor, who was very much the daughter of the father she hated. In the Lion's Court is an illuminating examination of the careers of the six Thomases, whose lives are described in parallel - their family and social origins, their pathways to the royal Council chamber, their occupancy of the siege perilous, and the tragedies which, one by one, overwhelmed them. By showing how events shaped and were shaped by relationships and personal destinies, Derek Wilson offers a fresh approach to the political narrative of a tumultuous reign.
In Love and War
by Liz TrenowFrom the bestselling author of The Poppy Factory comes this moving novel that brings together a group of women in ways they could never have imagined.July, 1919. At the Hotel de la Paix in the small village of Hoppestadt, three women arrive at the end of the war, searching for traces of the men they have loved and lost to the battlefields of Ypres in Belgium.Ruby is just twenty-one, a shy Englishwoman looking for the grave of her husband. Alice is only a little older but brimming with confidence; she has travelled all the way from America, convinced her brother is in fact still alive. Then there’s Martha, and her son Otto, who are not all they seem to be . . .The three women in Liz Trenow’s In Love and War may have very different backgrounds, but they are united in their search for reconciliation: to resolve themselves to what the war took from them, but also to what life might still promise for the future . . .
In Memoriam: THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
by Alice WinnWINNER OF THE WATERSTONES NOVEL OF THE YEAR PRIZE 2023It was only because Gaunt knew he might die, that he could be so reckless as to kiss him.'Assured, affecting and moving. Alice Winn has written a devastating love story between two young men on the Western Front' MAGGIE O'FARRELL, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF HAMNET______________________In 1914, war feels far away to Henry Gaunt and Sidney Ellwood. They're too young to enlist, and anyway, Gaunt is fighting his own private battle - an all-consuming infatuation with the dreamy, poetic Ellwood - not having a clue that his best friend is in love with him, always has been.When Gaunt's mother asks him to enlist in the British army to protect the family from anti-German attacks, he signs up immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings. But Ellwood and their classmates soon follow him into the horrors of trenches. Though Ellwood and Gaunt find fleeting moments of solace in one another, their friends are dying in front of them, and at any moment they could be next.An epic tale of the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.THE TOP FIVE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, March 2023______________________'One of the best debuts I've read in recent years: immersive, rousing, tender and devastating . . . please rush out and buy it' ELIZABETH DAY'BIRDSONG for a new generation' JOANNA QUINN, AUTHOR OF THE WHALEBONE THEATRE'Like looking at a black and white photograph which has been colourised . . . I was completely absorbed, moved, and transported' CLAIRE FULLER, AUTHOR OF UNSETTLED GROUND'When was the last time characters in a novel seemed so real to me, so cherishable, so alive?' GARTH GREENWELL, AUTHOR OF CLEANNESS and WHAT BELONGS TO YOU'A vivid rendering of love and frontline brutality in the first world war . . . In Memoriam is at once epic and intimate, humorous and profound, a vivid rendering of the madness and legacy of the first world war as seen through the lens of a schoolboy love affair' Observer'A tender, affecting debut . . . Winn strikingly evokes the torment and brutality of life of the front' The Times'Propulsive, visceral and heartrending . . . I can't remember the last time I was this invested in a love story' Sunday Telegraph'A genuine page-turner' Sunday Times'In Memoriam is gripping, tender, immersive and, most of all, completely unforgettable' i, Fiction Pick of the Month'Alice Winn's devastating debut will smash your heart to smithereens . . . as thousands of young men die in the most horrific of ways, Gaunt and Ellwood attempt to survive the slaughter and keep their love alive' Daily Mail'IN MEMORIAM is the story of a great tragedy, but it is also a moving portrait of young love, and there is often a lightness to the book, even humor. It's a difficult balancing act, but one that Winn, who is erudite, fast talking and very funny, pulls off' New York Times
In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age
by Stephanie CookeThis provocative history of nuclear power is perfectly timed for today, when Americans are gravely concerned with nuclear terrorism, and a nuclear renaissance is seen as a possible solution to global warming. Few have truly come to terms with the complexities of an issue which may determine the future of the planet. Nuclear weapons, it was once hoped, would bring wars to an end; instead, they spurred a massive arms race that has recently expanded to include North Korea and I ran. Once seen as a source of unlimited electricity, nuclear reactors breed contamination and have been used as covers for secret weapons programs, from India and Pakistan to Iraq and Iran.
In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age
by Stephanie CookeThis landmark history of nuclear power is perfectly timed for today, when Americans are gravely concerned with nuclear terrorism, and a nuclear renaissance is seen as a possible solution to global warming. Few have truly come to terms with the complexities of an issue which may determine the future of the planet. Nuclear weapons, it was once hoped, would bring wars to a close; instead, they spurred a massive arms race that has recently expanded to include North Korea and Iran. Once seen as a source of unlimited electricity, nuclear reactors breed contamination and have been used as covers for secret weapons programs from India and Pakistan to Iraq and Iran. The evolving story of nuclear power, as told by industry insider Stephanie Cooke, reveals the gradual deepening of our understanding of the pros and cons of this controversial energy source. Drawing on her unprecedented access, Cooke shows us how, time and again, the stewards of the nuclear age-- the more-is-better military commanders and civilian nuclear boosters-- have fallen into the traps of their own hubris and wishful thinking as they tried to manage the unmanageable. Their mistakes are on the verge of being repeated again, which is why this book deserves especially close attention now.
In My Grandfather’s Shadow: A story of war, trauma and the legacy of silence
by Angela FindlayThe true story of three generations of one family which examines the guilt and trauma of being part of Germany's Nazi past.This is a moving and powerful memoir that illuminates the extraordinary power of unprocessed trauma as it passes through generations, and how when it is faced it can be healed.' JULIA SAMUEL, author of Every Family Has a Story, Grief Works and This Too Shall Pass 'A page turner of the highest calibre! Meticulously researched, searingly honest and beautifully written,.' MARINA CANTACUZINO, Author and founder of The Forgiveness Project'An absolutely extraordinary book.' Keith Lowe, Sunday Times bestselling author of Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II-------------In 1987, Angela Findlay walked into a prison and instantly but inexplicably felt at home. For years she had wrestled with a sense of 'badness' within her. But working with prisoners was just the beginning of her search for answers that took her to Nazi Germany and the life of her dead grandfather, who, it emerged, was a decorated general on the Eastern front. In a rare confluence of memoir, psychology and historical detective story, this is Findlay's account of her unflinching quest for the truth about her German family, one that breaks through the silence surrounding many of the Second World War's perpetrators.In My Grandfather's Shadow explores the heritability of unresolved experiences, questions deeply held perceptions of good and bad, and uncovers the lesser-known history of the war's losers, a post-war culture of apology and atonement, and the lingering legacy of shame. Using her own family story to explore an episode in history that continues to appal and fascinate, Findlay reveals that it is possible not only for the scars of trauma to be handed down through generations, but also for them to be healed.
In My Wildest Dreams
by Leslie ThomasFrom Barnardo boy to original virgin soldier; from apprentice journalist in London's Fleet Street to famous novelist...At times funny, at times sad, but always honest and utterly compulsive, Leslie Thomas's story is straight out of fiction. As an orphan, he picked his way through the rubble of post-war Britain and was sent on national service to the Far East. Later he became a Fleet Street reporter, with hilarious experiences to relate, and then became the bestselling author of The Virgin Soldiers - the novel that, although scandalous in its day, is now recognised as a classic of its kind. He is also the creator of Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective, which has been adapted into a popular television series. In 2005, Leslie Thomas was awarded an OBE for services to literature.With a new introduction for this edition, this is an amazing story, and Leslie Thomas's magic touch brings it crackling to life with warmth, wit and humour.
In Nelson's Wake: The Navy and the Napoleonic Wars
by James DaveyHoratio Nelson’s celebrated victory over the French at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 presented Britain with an unprecedented command of the seas. Yet the Royal Navy’s role in the struggle against Napoleonic France was far from over. This groundbreaking book asserts that, contrary to the accepted notion that the Battle of Trafalgar essentially completed the Navy’s task, the war at sea actually intensified over the next decade, ceasing only with Napoleon’s final surrender. In this dramatic account of naval contributions between 1803 and 1815, James Davey offers original and exciting insights into the Napoleonic wars and Britain’s maritime history. Encompassing Trafalgar, the Peninsular War, the War of 1812, the final campaign against Napoleon, and many lesser known but likewise crucial moments, the book sheds light on the experiences of individuals high and low, from admiral and captain to sailor and cabin boy. The cast of characters also includes others from across Britain—dockyard workers, politicians, civilians—who made fundamental contributions to the war effort, and in so doing, both saved the nation and shaped Britain’s history.
The In & Out: A History Of The Naval And Military Club (General Military Ser.)
by Tim NewarkThe Naval and Military Club – or the 'In & Out' as it is affectionately known – is one of Britain's greatest and oldest service clubs and this book tells its rich and entertaining history for the first time. Lavishly illustrated, it captures the essence of British style inside one of London's grandest clubhouses – first with a famous home in Piccadilly and now in St James's Square. Over 150 years, its members have included numerous Victoria Cross winners, triumphant generals and admirals, even bold explorers. There are intimate tales of brave soldiers and sailors – alongside a few rogues and accounts of scandalous behaviour!
The In & Out: A history of the Naval and Military Club
by Tim NewarkThe Naval and Military Club – or the 'In & Out' as it is affectionately known – is one of Britain's greatest and oldest service clubs and this book tells its rich and entertaining history for the first time. Lavishly illustrated, it captures the essence of British style inside one of London's grandest clubhouses – first with a famous home in Piccadilly and now in St James's Square. Over 150 years, its members have included numerous Victoria Cross winners, triumphant generals and admirals, even bold explorers. There are intimate tales of brave soldiers and sailors – alongside a few rogues and accounts of scandalous behaviour!
In Proud and Honoured Memory: In memory of the valiant sons of Whitchurch, Llandaff North, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina and Tongwynlais (Fallen Heroes of the Great War)
by Ceri Stennett Gwyn PrescottOrdinary men caught up in an extraordinary war. In the main, the men of the Whitchurch Parish of Cardiff who served in the First World War of 1914-1918 were not soldiers. The vast majority were working men who went to ‘do their bit’ for King and Country, with basic training but fully expecting to return and continue in their everyday lives with their families and in their jobs. However, for more than 200 of them it was not to be, whether being killed in action, dying of wounds or disease, or succumbing at home after being invalided back to ‘Blighty’. This work, compiled by local historians Ceri Stennett and Gwyn Prescott, looks at those men from the villages of Whitchurch, Llandaff North, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina and Tongwynlais who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War. Cardiff has a proud history in playing its part in times of war, and this book tells the stories of the men who valiantly served, butdied for their efforts. For most the theatre of war was France and Flanders, but others met their fate in Gallipoli, Salonika, Palestine or in the Senior Service, the Royal Navy, on the High Seas around the globe. Many also met their end in the Merchant Navy whilst attempting to supply the UK with food, goods and materials. Much of the material included has been unearthed from local newspapers of the time, from descendants of the fallen, and the ever-expanding information available online. Census records from 1891, 1901, and 1911 have been used to trace the lives of the men - making this work invaluable to family and local historians alike. A real attempt has been made to portray the men as individuals, and not just as members of a particular battalion, regiment or corps. Readers can retrace the lives of the men by their pre-war homes, many of which still stand today. Every death is a human tragedy, but within this small part of the story of a catastrophic war, the book shines a light on stories of great selflessness, comradeship, devotion to duty and at times, great heroism. It was a time when for ‘King and Empire’ stood for the principles that many people lived by.
In Pursuit of a Dream: A Time in Australia
by Alexandra Fanny BrodskyA vibrant and moving memoir of life in Australia and Europe in the middle of the twentieth century.In Pursuit of a Dream begins with a brief portrait of the author's family circumstances after the Second World War, when they were finally reunited after being forced into hiding to escape the Gestapo. This appealing personal history combines autobiography with a picture of the international situation in the middle of the twentieth century. After some time spent visiting friends and family in war-torn France and Belgium, the author and her parents obtained passes to join her brother in Australia on a journey which was to change her life completely. Through her eyes we experience the sea voyage and Sydney life in the 1940s and gain an original perspective on Australia during this period. Her vivid descriptions clearly convey the impact of post-war migration, and the story of her subsequent return to Europe and later marriage to the Australian scientist, Henry Harris, make this a most attractive and authentic cultural history.
In Pursuit of Military Excellence: The Evolution of Operational Theory (Cummings Center Series)
by Shimon NavehThis book offers a scientific interpretation of the field of military knowledge situated between strategy and tactics, better known as operational art', and traces the evolution of operational awareness and its culmination in a full-fledged theory. The author, a Brigadier General (ret.) in the Israeli Defence Forces and Doctor of History, King's College, London, clarifies the substance of operational art' and constructs a cognitive framework for its critical analysis. He chronicles the stages in the evolution of operational theory from the emergence of 19th-century military thought to Blitzkrieg. For the first time the Soviet theories of Deep Operations' and Strike Manoeuvre' that emerged in the 1920s and 1930 are discussed. The author argues that it is these doctrines that eventually led to the crystallization of the American Airland Battle theory, successfully implemented in the Gulf War.
In Pursuit of Military Excellence: The Evolution of Operational Theory (Cummings Center Series #Vol. 7)
by Shimon NavehThis book offers a scientific interpretation of the field of military knowledge situated between strategy and tactics, better known as operational art', and traces the evolution of operational awareness and its culmination in a full-fledged theory. The author, a Brigadier General (ret.) in the Israeli Defence Forces and Doctor of History, King's College, London, clarifies the substance of operational art' and constructs a cognitive framework for its critical analysis. He chronicles the stages in the evolution of operational theory from the emergence of 19th-century military thought to Blitzkrieg. For the first time the Soviet theories of Deep Operations' and Strike Manoeuvre' that emerged in the 1920s and 1930 are discussed. The author argues that it is these doctrines that eventually led to the crystallization of the American Airland Battle theory, successfully implemented in the Gulf War.
In Pursuit of the English: A Documentary
by Doris LessingBy turns, an unsparing and joyous account of life in a postwar London rooming house by Doris Lessing, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 2007.
In Quest of Freedom: The War of 1971 - Personal Accounts by Soldiers from India and Bangladesh
by Maj Gen CardozoThe fate of nations during war depends on how well men fight, and these stories tell us how the Indian armed forces and the Mukti Bahini fought for the cause of freedom. Paradoxically, it is the value of 'Love' that was the motivating factor in this war of liberation - love for one's country, love for ones brothers in uniform, love for the people and love for freedom; for it is on the altar of love that men and women in uniform place their lives in the line of fire and are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, if need be, so that others may live.It is hoped that these stories inspire the youth of the country and motivate them to join the armed forces – a profession that has no equal.
In Roman Britain: In Roman Britain Library Ebook (Men, Women and Children)
by Jane BinghamThis book draws on evidence left behind by people who lived in Roman Britain. It examines how they lived, studied, worked, worshipped and played. There are also short stories about real people who lived during this period of history, such as Boudicca, Agricola and Marcus, a 6-year-old chariot racer.
In Search of a Peace Settlement: Egypt and Israel between the Wars, 1967-1973
by M. GatThis is the first examination of the Israeli and Egyptian peace process between 1967-1973, which highlights the rise and fall of Soviet influence after the Six Day War and explores how the increasing importance of America's political leadership affected the region.
In Search of Amrit Kaur: An Indian Princess in Wartime Paris
by Livia Manera SambuyA lost princess and a vanished world: a remarkable true story that moves from the Punjab of the Raj to 1930s Paris and the cataclysm of the Second World War
In Search of Captain Cook: Exploring the Man Through His Own Words
by Dan O'SullivanCaptain James Cook was the greatest explorer of his age, perhaps of any age. He was a leader of men, a master voyager who journeyed to unknown places, a seeker of knowledge who commanded three demanding scientific expeditions. He and his crews had encounters with peoples of the South Seas which could lead to mutual respect and trade, but also to misunderstanding and violence. Even before he died his exploits were widely admired. But his death at the hands of Hawaiians turned him into a legendary figure, a hero of the Enlightenment, who was said to have brought “civilization” to the Pacific while giving up his own life in the process.Yet despite everything that is known about Cook's life and many adventures, the man himself remains shrouded in mystery. Even J.C. Beaglehole, the legendary editor of Cook's Journals, acknowledged the problem: 'Everybody knows Cook's name; yet, I have always felt, extraordinarily little is known about him. He is an exceptionally difficult man to get inside'.With this book, Dan O'Sullivan seeks to do just that and casts vivid light on Cook's character, teasing out his personality from the pages of his own journals - cautious, objective-seeming texts, full of the minutiae of daily events which are almost the only sources available for one of the outstanding figures of his generation and of his country. Presenting Cook's life thematically, O'Sullivan examines his ideas and attitudes - towards his men, the Pacific Islanders, sex, god and death - in the context of the ideas and conflicts of the turbulent 18th century As well as an original and illuminating re-examination of Cook's complex character, this is also a vivid introduction to his life and times which is essential reading for anyone with an interest in this incomparable sea-captain.
In Search of God’s Power in Broken Bodies: A Theology of Maum (New Approaches to Religion and Power)
by H. ChongInterweaving feminist theological ideas, Asian spirituality, and the witnesses of World War II sex slaves, this book offers a new theology of body. It examines the multi-layered meaning of the broken body of Christ from Christological, sacramental, and ecclesiological perspectives, while exploring the centrality of body in theological discourse.
In Search of Klingsor: The International Bestselling Novel
by Jorge VolpiAlready an international bestseller, ‘In Search of Klingsor’ traces an American physicist’s thrilling search to unmask Hitler’s chief science advisor, the man whose work on the German atomic bomb threatened Allied security.
In Search of the Dark Ages
by Michael WoodThis edition of Michael Wood's groundbreaking first book explores the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly conjures up some of the most famous names in British history, such as Queen Boadicea, leader of a terrible war of resistance against the Romans, and King Arthur, the 'once and future king', for whose riddle Wood proposes a new and surprising solution. Here too, warts and all, are the Saxon, Viking and Norman kings who laid the political foundations of England - Offa of Mercia, Alfred the Great, Athelstan, and William the Conqueror, whose victory at Hastings in 1066 marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England. Reflecting recent historical, textual and archaeological research, this revised edition of Michael Wood's classic book overturns preconceptions of the Dark Ages as a shadowy and brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting and formative period in the history of Britain. 'With In Search of the Dark Ages, Michael Wood wrote the book for history on TV.' The Times 'Michael Wood is the maker of some of the best TV documentaries ever made on history and archaeology.' Times Literary Supplement
In The Shadow Of A Saint: A Son's Journey To Understand His Father's Legacy
by Ken Wiwa'My father. That's what this is all about. Where does he end and where do I begin?'Ken Saro-Wiwa was executed in November 1995. One of Nigeria's best-loved writers and an outspoken critic of military rule, he was a prime mover in bringing the human rights abuses of Shell Oil and the Nigerian military to the attention of the world. His death was headline news internationally. The name of Ken Saro-Wiwa became a potent symbol of the struggle between a traditional way of life and the juggernaut of global commercial interests.What was it like to grow up with such a politically active and socially conscious father? How do you come to terms with your father's imprisonment and execution? How do you cope with the endless international press speculation about your father's life and character? And how do you respond when international attention is focused on you? How do you make your own way in life against your father's expectations of you, especially when you carry the same name? How do you live with such a complex personal history?This frank and memorable depiction of Ken Saro-Wiwa's childhood and relationship with his father vividly recounts the journey he took to answer those questions. Ultimately it is the story of how Ken Wiwa went looking for his father and ended up finding himself.