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Bracknell is well known for being one of the 'new towns' built after the Second World War to relieve the pressure of housing and industry in London – but the history of Bracknell goes back much further than that. Early hunter gatherers, Iron Age people and Romans have all called Bracknell their home. Hidden in the royal hunting ground of Windsor Forest for many centuries, the village began to develop with the arrival of the railway. Local brickyards expanded, their output being used in many important buildings, both in Britain and abroad. In The Story of Bracknell, local historian Andrew Radgick sets about uncovering this near-forgotten history, producing a treasure trove of original research from newspaper archives and photographic collections, to personal accounts from residents and examinations of traditional tales associated with the area. Bracknell has a unique history, and this is its story.
Pheidippides did it once and became a legend. Brian Mills did it 771 times... but you might be forgiven for not knowing who he is. He is a runner and 'it' is the marathon - all 26 miles and 385 yards of it - and for some people once is not enough. Brian Mills is rumoured to have a butterfly tattoo for each of his 771 efforts. And Brian is not the only one who has notched up three digits of grueling athletic endeavor. The 100 Marathon Club, also known as the Hell's Angels of Running and Running Sluts (running one race whilst thinking of another), is growing in number every year. This is a club with no prejudices and only one prerequisite for membership - the completion of 100 marathons. It is...
'Uniquely well-informed, all-encompassing and loving.' - Pam Ayres, poet 'Amazing revelations about my home county.' - Adam Henson, Countryfile presenter Did you know that Sir Peter Scott was named after Peter Pan; a Stroud man invented instant custard; and a Cotswold manor house is designed to look exactly like the Palace of Westminster? Gloucestershire has been at the forefront of world-changing innovation throughout history, has inspired great works of literature and even has its own rhyming slang. Join broadcaster Mark Cummings on a joyful journey exploring the Gloucestershire streets that gave us Scrooge and Long John Silver, find out where classic TV and movie scenes were filmed and feast on delicious nuggets about royalty, rock stars and rugby legends. Walk with Mark to London in the footsteps of Dick Whittington, discover the true meaning behind Gloucestershire's quirky place names, take advantage of unique tips leading you to hidden gems across the county and test what you've learned with Mark's 100 quiz questions, a challenge for locals and visitors alike.
Richard III, King of England from 1483 to 1485, made good laws that still protect ordinary people today. Yet history concentrates on the fictional hunchback as depicted by Shakespeare: the wicked uncle who stole the throne and killed his nephews in the Tower of London. Voices have protested during the intervening years, some of them eminent and scholarly, urging a more reasoned view to replace the traditional black portrait. But historians, whether as authors or presenters of popular TV history, still trot out the old pronouncements about ruthless ambition, usurpation and murder. After centuries of misinformation, the truth about Richard III has been overdue a fair hearing. Annette Carson se...
D-Day was unprecedented. An invasion of this scale and magnitude had never been carried out before. The landings in North Africa, Sicily and Italy were of limited scope by comparison; if they had failed it would not have been a complete disaster, whereas Normandy heralded the long-awaited Second Front. D-Day 1944: The Making of Victory investigates the great feats of unique problem-solving that enabled the success of such an important invasion. Military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones brings his expert eye to bear on the D-Day landings and subsequent Normandy campaign. He reassesses the technical ingenuity required through the eyes of those who fought there, and vividly reveals how each side managed, whether dealing with the challenges of crossing the Channel safely or in defence of the French coast. Including first-hand accounts, this book places the reader in the thick of the action.
Did You Know? At least 189,429 Limerick residents migrated from Ireland between 1851 and 1911. A Limerick man, George Geary Bennis, saved the life of King Louis Phillipe of France during a street fracas in 1848. For this he was awarded the title of 'Chevalier'. The last Limerick woman hanged was Annie Walsh, who was executed on 5 August 1925 after being found guilty of murdering her husband. In 1849 an Adare man called Hamilton attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria. The Little Book of Limerick is a compendium of fascinating information about the city and county, past and present. Here you will find out about Limerick's buildings and bridges, crime and punishment, tragic accidents, and its ...
"A wonderful book that shares rare knowledge in a clear and focused way. I love it." - Tristan Gooley Bird Tracks: A Field Guide to British Species explores and enhances the ability to identify a diversity of birds using just their tracks and trails. John Rhyder and David Wege approach this subject from the perspective of both the tracker and the birdwatcher. They have examined and described 139 species, each richly illustrated with a mixture of photographs and drawings of their unique tracks and trails. Bird Tracks is a comprehensive guide for trackers and birdwatchers interested in studying species found around the British Isles, and will also be of great use across northwestern Europe. Written by experts in their respective fields, this work represents several years of research collated into the most in-depth study of British bird tracks published to date.
A unique celebration of contemporary crafts around the Stroud ValleysA beautiful book for lovers of the handmade.
Some 66 million years ago, an asteroid some seven miles across slammed into the Earth, leaving a geologic wound over 50 miles in diameter. In the terrible mass extinction that followed, more than half of known species vanish seemingly overnight. But this worst single day in the history of life of Earth was as critical for us as it was for the dinosaurs, as it allowed for evolutionary opportunities that were closed for the previous 100 million years. In The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Riley Black walks readers through what happened in the days, the years, the centuries and the million years after the impact. Life's losses were sharp and deeply felt, but the hope carried by the beings that survived sets the stage for the world as we know it now.