After You With The Pistol  •  Kyril Bonfiglioli MYSTERY •  2005 •  PAPER The second installment in the British Charlie Mortdecai series. Mortdecai, a whiskey-swilling man-about-town, investigates the mystery of his new wife Johanna, who has a strange obsession with assassinating the Queen. (GBR590, $13.95)
The Age of Shakespeare  •  Francois Laroque CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1993 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES A volume in the outstanding "Discoveries" series, this pocket-size encyclopedia is an excellent introduction to Elizabethan England. It presents Shakespeare, his life, times and legacy in concise essays and hundreds of well-chosen illustrations. (GBR11, $12.95)
The Art and Architecture of London, An Illustrated Guide  •  Ann Saunders ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES A comprehensive, illustrated guide to the architectural treasures of London in the series by Phaidon. Organized geographically, it includes maps, site plans, interiors and exteriors of hundreds of buildings in London and Thames Valley. An excellent sourcebook. (GBR97, $24.95)
The Arts and Crafts Movement  •  Wendy Kaplan  •  Elizabeth Cumming ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A survey of the Arts and Crafts movement among turn-of-the-century British, American and European designers. A handsome illustrated volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series, it looks at the works of William Morris, Frank Lloyd Wright, Josef Hoffman, Eliel Saarinen and other important designers of furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwork, textiles and architecture. (GBR120, $16.95)
Birds of Britain & Europe  •  Hermann Heinzel  •  Richard Fitter  •  John Parslow FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES • COMING IN This masterfully organized Collins Pocket Guide, featuring 3,000 color illustrations covers the birds of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Maps, text and illustrations for each species are organized together on facing pages for quick reference in the field. Heinzel contributed all the handsome watercolor illustrations. (EUR49, $27.50)
Blue Guide Prague  •  Jasper Tilbury GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A detailed guide to the jewel of Eastern Europe complete with practical information, maps and cultural and historical background of Prague and Central Bohemia. With a color map, site plans and line drawings. (CZH56, $21.95)
Bradt Guide Eccentric Britain  •  Benedict le Vay GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In this characteristically informative guide in the Bradt series, Benedict le Vay shows that Monty Python is just the tip of the iceberg of absurdity in a region brimming with oddities-- although with section headings like "Stately pigs of old England and sty society" and "Britain's top ten (plus) towers (mostly with very tall stories)," he might as well be a member of the troupe. A must for the traveler who longs to veer off of the off-the-beaten-track. (GBR586, $22.95)
Bradt Guide Eccentric Britain  •  Benedict le Vay GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In this characteristically informative guide in the Bradt series, Benedict le Vay shows that Monty Python is just the tip of the iceberg of absurdity in a region brimming with oddities-- although with section headings like "Stately pigs of old England and sty society" and "Britain's top ten (plus) towers (mostly with very tall stories)," he might as well be a member of the troupe. A must for the traveler who longs to veer off of the off-the-beaten-track. (GBR586, $22.95)
British Isles Map, Great Britain and Ireland  •  Michelin Travel Publications 2008 •  MAP This colorful and accurate, regularly updated map shows both Great Britain and Ireland at a scale of 1:1,000,000. Featuring excellent road data. (GBR07, $11.95)
The British Isles, A History of Four Nations  •  Hugh Kearney HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES A survey of 2000 years of British history from the Celts to the Romans, the Normans, to the rise (and fall) of the empire. With a welcome focus on the interaction of the Celts, Normans and other cultures that have made their home in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Highly recommended. (GBR88, $33.99)
Britons: Forging the Nations, 1707-1837  •  Linda Colley HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 413 PAGES Winner of the 1992 Wolfson History Prize given in London for the best history accessible to general readers, this very interesting study of the formation of a national British identity recounts the joining of England, Scotland and Wales. This political, military and social history records how the ruling elite withstood threats from within and without from the Jacobites to the French, the path from Protestantism to profits via trade, war and empire, the making of the British ruling class, the women's sphere, and parliamentary reforms from the act of Union to the beginning of the Victorian Age. (GBR81, $21.00)
The Celts, Conquerors of Ancient Europe  •  Chriatiane Eluere ARCHAEOLOGY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES A pocket-size encyclopedia of knowledge, this slim illustrated volume documents what we know of the art and archaeology of the Celts, taking the story from the fourth century B.C. to the arrival of the Romans. With over 100 maps and illustrations of sites and artifacts. Excellent. (CLT01, $12.95)
Coast, A Celebration of Britain's Coastal Heritage  •  Christopher Somerville NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES (GBR610, $29.95)
Cross Channel  •  Julian Barnes LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 211 PAGES Each linked in some way with cross channel experiences, these ten short stories range in time from the late 17th century to the year 2015. The stories display the deliciously comic, complex and intellectual pyrotechnics, for which novelist Barnes is famous. (GBR56, $13.00)
Empires of the Atlantic World, Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830  •  J. H. Elliott HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 656 PAGES A masterful synthesis of English and Spanish colonies in the New World. (ATL24, $50.00)
England, England  •  Julian Barnes LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 275 PAGES Acclaimed novelist Barnes turns his characteristic wit toward both England and the experience of traveling. Business tycoon Sir Jack Pitman dreams of making a profit by recreating all of England's attractions -- from Big Ben to Stonehenge -- at the convenient scale of an amusement park (which is, incidentally, set on the Isle of Wight). A trenchant, entertaining critique that raises questions about tourism and British identity. (GBR45, $13.95)
Eyewitness Guide Great Britain  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 720 PAGES With its 1,400 photos, maps and excellent introductory chapters, this guide is both a general introduction to Great Britain and a region-by-region look at its attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (GBR01, $30.00)
Eyewitness Guide London  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES This superb guide to London features color photography, dozens of excellent neighborhood maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (GBR34, $25.00)
A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe  •  Guy Mountfort FIELD GUIDE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 212 PAGES Every birder has their favorite field guide, but you can't go wrong with this classic in the Peterson series: compact, illustrated and convenient, covering 698 species. With range maps. (EUR15, $22.00)
Fodor's London's 25 Best  •  Fodor's GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES This slim guide to London includes a separate map of the city's center and a 96-page pocket book with essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing. (GBR08, $11.95)
For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys  •  Thomas Urquhart BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Urquhart chronicles a lifelong affair with nature, combined with a passion for music, as he travels-- and bird watches-- through pastoral England, Italy, the Camargue in Provence, and the villages of Mali. (BRD35, $15.00)
Good Gardens Guide  •  Katherine Lambert  •  Peter King GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 639 PAGES A thorough guide to Britain's historic gardens, complete with tourist information and photographs. (GBR632, $24.95)
Great Britain Map  •  Ordnance Survey MAP The Brits are famously in love with geography, and this is their homegrown, excellent map of Great Britain, at a scale of 1:650,000. (GBR06, $12.95)
The History of English Interiors  •  Peter Aprahamian  •  Ann Gore  •  Alan Gore ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES The first comprehensive history of English interior decoration is collected here in a survey that covers a millennium's worth of styles. (GBR223, $29.95)
An Illustrated History of the First World War  •  John Keegan HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES • COMING IN An illustrated edition of Keegan's outstanding history of the Great War, considerably enhanced by his selection of almost 500 photographs, maps, drawings and illustrations. The visuals clarify and augment his wide-ranging narrative of the origins, battles and consequences of WWI. (WAR16, $50.00)
Insight Guide Great Gardens of Britain & Ireland  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 190 PAGES A comprehensive, nice illustrated roundup of gardens throughout the British Isles with excellent maps, color photographs, travel information and short descriptions of each garden. (GBR394, $23.95)
Letters from London  •  Julian Barnes CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES This sparkling collection of essays by the brilliant novelist Julian Barnes hones in on the social complexity and political reality of modern day England. Originally published in the "New Yorker," these always-on-target essays range from Thatcherite Britain to the foibles of the royals. A dedicated francophile, he also meditates at length on the historic cross-channel animosity. (GBR14, $14.00)
Life in the English Country House, A Social and Architectural History  •  Mark Girouard ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A celebrated social and architectural history of life in English country houses, fully illustrated in black and white and color, first published in 1978. Girouard traces the history of these houses from medieval times to World War II. The Guardian said that Girouard has "no equal in describing social and political change in architectural terms." Based on the author's lectures at Oxford in 1975-76. (GBR221, $42.00)
Literary Trails, British Writers in their Landscapes  •  Christina Hardyment LITERATURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES A survey of the British landscapes that have given shape to the literary characters of Jane Austen, Daphne du Maurier, Virginia Woolf, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, and Wordsworth. Maps and photographs invite readers to trace the routes of favorite characters by foot, car, or boat. (GBR164, $49.50)
London, A History  •  A.N. Wilson HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A brief, evocative meditation on the rich and varied history of England's capital city by the prolific British writer, critic and historian. Wilson examines London through several lenses, using humor and insight to discuss art, architecture, politics and culture. (GBR480, $14.00)
London, A Social History  •  Roy Porter HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES A short, illustrated history of London, chronicling the city from its origins as an outpost of the Roman Empire through medieval hub, Renaissance center and imperial capital. A professor of history at University College, Porter is a marvelous guide. (GBR59, $20.95)
Loving Will Shakespeare  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Popular young adult author Carolyn Meyer fictionalizes the romance between Anne Hathaway and the young William Shakespeare in this novel for teens. (GBR668, $17.00)
The Map That Changed the World, William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology  •  Simon Winchester HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER (GBR607, $13.95)
The Meaning of Everything, The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary  •  Simon Winchester HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES (GBR608, $15.95)
Pax Britannica, The Climax of Empire  •  James Morris HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 527 PAGES The centerpiece of the trilogy "Pax Britannica," this entertaining history concentrates on the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, celebrated as a festival of imperial power and splendor. This is a historical travel book, focusing on how the empire looked and felt at the end of the 19th century, its structure and laws, imperial architecture, parks, gardens, arts, railroads, shipping, roads, the Royal Navy, mapping, and irrigation from India to Canada and Rhodesia. (GBR10, $26.00)
The Professor and the Madman (Audio)  •  Simon Winchester HISTORY •  2005 •  AUDIO CD An audio version of the bizarre true story behind the birth of the Oxford English Dictionary and two men -- one a scholarly editor, the other a mentally ill, convicted murderer -- who contributed to its creation. (GBR606, $14.95)
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire  •  Lawrence James HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 704 PAGES An epic history of the empire's achievements from 1600 to the present, Lawrence spices the book with quotes from private letters and diaries -- and good writing. He captures the mission and destiny that drove adventurers and explorers to travel the world in the name of God and king. From the imperial adventures of Drake to Lawrence of Arabia, the impact of the empire on natives, colonials, and the British at home, the lure of wealth tempered by moral misgivings, British sea power, the American War of Independence. (GBR72, $21.95)
Roman Britain  •  Martin Millett ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES Millett draws on archaeological and historical sources to examine the cultural, social and economic impact of 400 years of Roman rule. (GBR638, $22.95)
Roman Britain, A New History  •  Guy De La Bedoyere HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES An illustrated chronicle of Britain as a Roman province places the region's conquest and occupation by Rome within a larger context of Romano-British society, in an account that includes coverage of such topics as the construction of Hadrian's Wall, the rule of the emperor Honorius, and the recent archaeological discovery of the Colchester stadium. (GBR620, $39.95)
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders  •  John Clifford Mortimer MYSTERY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES (GBR622, $14.00)
Rumpole and the Primose Path  •  John Clifford Mortimer MYSTERY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES (GBR623, $14.00)
The Secret Agent  •  Joseph Conrad LITERATURE •  1983 •  PAPER  • 237 PAGES This classic spy story, based on an anarchist plot to bomb Greenwich, is a chillingly prophetic examination of terrorism predating the espionage thriller. It's a fine portrait of turn-of-the-century London, featuring idealistic revolutionaries, ruthless ideologues, and an undercover counter-revolutionary mole with the mission of provoking violence to destroy the group he has infiltrated. (GBR86, $5.95)
Something Nasty In The Woodshed  •  Kyril Bonfiglioli MYSTERY •  2005 •  PAPER The third episode in the British cult series starring Charlie Mortdecai, "knave-about-Piccadilly." The raffish Mortdecai, his oafish right-hand man jock, Mortdecai's mysterious and beautiful wife Johanna, and plenty of whiskey star. (GBR605, $13.95)
The Story of Britain  •  Roy Strong HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 596 PAGES A beautifully illustrated and rousing history of Britain from prehistory until the 1990s -- a balanced, well written overview of a huge subject. (GBR71, $35.00)
Thomas Becket  •  Frank Barlow BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1990 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A detailed history of the life of Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, who, after his murder in 1170 at the hands of four knights in the service of his former friend King Henry II, became a celebrated saint and martyr, and one of the most important figures in western Christianity. Barlow, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter, traces the rise and fall of Thomas's career, paying special attention to the more controversial elements of his life, in this thorough biography. (GBR490, $23.95)
Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel  •  Jerome Jerome  •  Jeremy Lewis TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 361 PAGES • FAVORITE Written in 1889, "Three Men in a Boat" (to say nothing of the dog!) is a masterpiece of British wit. It's a laugh-out-loud account of a man-powered voyage along the River Thames, full of detail on life and lore. As a bonus, this edition includes a sequel, where Jerome is reunited with George, Harris and the dog Montmorency on a bicycle tour of Germany. With an introduction by Jeremy Lewis, which provides the biographical and social context for these two tales. (GBR28, $11.00)
Time and Chance  •  Sharon Kay Penman LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES Part two of a historical fiction trilogy about King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, this volume continues the story of this famous political marriage and also concentrates on Henry's relationship with his friend Thomas Becket, whom he appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury. Penman follows this tumultuous relationship through Becket's 1107 murder at the hands of four knights serving in Henry's court. A compelling fictionalization of one of the most important and exciting periods in British history. (GBR492, $15.95)
A Traveller's History of England  •  Christopher Daniell HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES This is a good compact history of England. It covers the sweep of English history from the Roman occupation to the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Norman invasions, through the power struggles of the medieval kings, the Reformation, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, and the establishment of the empire and its transformation into the British Commonwealth. It continues through the world wars, the welfare state, and membership in the European Economic Community. A gazetteer highlights places of historical interest. With maps and line drawings. (GBR38, $14.95)
The Tudor Women  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2006 •  BOXED • YOUNG ADULTS A boxed set featuring four volumes in Meyer's popular young adult Royal Diaries series ("Mary, Bloody Mary," "Beware, Princess Elizabeth," "Doomed Queen Anne" and "Patience, Princess Catherine"). (GBR667, $23.85)
Wildflowers of Britain and Europe, Compact Guide  •  W. Lippert  •  D. Podlech FIELD GUIDE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES A compact photographic guide to British and European wildflowers, covering 350 of the most commonly encountered species. Flowers are organized by color for easy identification. Enclosed in a clear plastic cover. (EUR46, $19.99)
Winston Spencer Churchill, The Last Lion: Alone, 1932-1940  •  William Manchester BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1989 •  PAPER  • 684 PAGES This second volume in the fascinating three-part biography of Winston Churchill further illuminates the character of one of the largest human beings of our time. War clouds had once again gathered, and the storm of World War II was beginning. (GBR78, $23.00)
Winston Spencer Churchill, The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932  •  William Manchester BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1983 •  PAPER  • 973 PAGES This impressive volume, which covers the first 58 years of the monumental figure who guided England from the pinnacle of world empire through the catastrophe of World War II, ends in 1932. It's an engrossing account of the man and his times, and is the first of several volumes by the popular historian William Manchester. (GBR18, $23.00)