REMOTE COASTAL REGIONS OF ENGLAND, IRELAND, AND SCOTLAND
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1066, The Year of the Conquest  •  David Howarth
HISTORY •  1981 •  PAPER  • 207 PAGES
A concise, lucid history of the Battle of Hastings, rich in anecdotal detail. Howarth relies on the few medieval sources available to reconstruct the events leading up to and the consequences of the famous battle. As much a master storyteller as an adept historian, he provides insight into the court intrigue, personalities and daily life in the Norman period. (GBR115, $14.00)
  1066, The Year of the Conquest
1916, A Novel of the Irish Rebellion  •  Morgan Llywelyn
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS
Llywelyn, the queen of Irish historical pulp fiction, tells a story of the Easter Rising of 1916. Her books, like those of James Michener, are reliably chockfull of history and true characters -- and are considerably hotter stuff than most history texts. She writes well, always, making this a good choice for light reading. (IRE123, $7.99)
 
21, The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey  •  Patrick O'Brian
LITERATURE •  2010 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES
Untitled and unfinished at the time of his death, this 21st book in the Aubrey/Maturin series takes up in Chile where Blue at the Mizzen left off. O'Brian's publisher, W.W. Norton, in this last installment has printed the final three chapters both in printed form along with a facsimile of his manuscript (which includes his corrections and a few unfinished pages). Book 21 is also included in the complete five-volume boxed set. (GBR508, $18.95)
 
Agatha Christie A to Z: The Essential Reference to Her Life and Writings  •  Dawn B. Sova
MYSTERY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 304 PAGES
A scholarly compendium of everything Christie, this handsome book is an encyclopedic guide to her life and work. It's also much fun, including such helpful categories as means of murder, characters and detectives. (GBR48, $55.00)
  Agatha Christie A to Z: The Essential Reference to Her Life and Writings
Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death  •  M.C. Beaton
MYSTERY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 201 PAGES
In this installment of the Agatha Raisin series, our heroine has quit her PR job in London and moved to a not-quite-so-quiet village in the Cotswolds, and of course finds her self in the middle of a puzzling murder that very much needs a solution. (GBR212, $7.99)
  Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death
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 Age of Shakespeare
All Creatures Great and Small  •  James Herriot
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 437 PAGES
The first volume in the series of wildly popular tales by a country veterinarian -- and born storyteller -- set among the folk of the Yorkshire Dales. (GBR104, $7.99)
  All Creatures Great and Small
Amongst Women  •  John McGahern
LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES
McGahern, one of Ireland's finest living writers of fiction, has captured the changing spirit of the nation in this story of an embittered Republican farmer and his daughters, who will go on to shape a new country. (IRE58, $14.00)
 
Angela's Ashes  •  Frank McCourt
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 364 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS
The Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of an Irish childhood spent in abject poverty in the slums of Limerick, told with enormous wit, grace, and skill. (IRE18, $16.00)
  Angela's Ashes
The Anglo-Saxons  •  James Graham Campbell
HISTORY •  1982 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
Traces the history of England from the end of Roman rule to the Norman Conquest. (GBR403, $28.00)
 
Art and Society in the Middle Ages  •  Georges Duby
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES
A study of the relationship between the production of art and the nature of Medieval society. Noted French historian Georges Duby draws on religion, culture, government, geography, and, of course, artistic pursuits in this portrait of the Middle ages. (EUR85, $30.55)
 
Art of the Celts  •  Lloyd Robert Laing  •  Jennifer Laing
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
A volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series, this is a broad introduction to Celtic art, from the 5th century B.C. to 1200 A.D. (CLT02, $19.95)
  Art of the Celts
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, $18.95)
  The Arts and Crafts Movement
As You Like It  •  Paul Werstine  •  Barbara Mowat  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
Part of the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, Shakespeare's full text with a scene by scene prose summary and critical analysis. (TTR06, $3.99)
 
As You Like It  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER
The "Oxford World Classics" edition. (GBR348, $10.95)
 
At Swim, Two Boys  •  Jamie O'Neill
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 572 PAGES
A haunting tale of love set against the huge backdrop of Irish politics and the events leading up to the 1916 Easter uprising. It's a huge book, ten years in the making, noteworthy for its remarkable language, characters and ambition. O'Neill's two 16-year-old heroes, Jim Mack and Doyler Doyle, swim to the island, grow up and fall in love with each other, though not without some absorbing complications that mix fiction with real-life events. O'Neill, a Dubliner, also hauls in some pretty fine references to Ulysses (as well as slinging some mud on the Catholic church). (IRE120, $16.00)
 
Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape  •  F.H.A Aalen
NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 364 PAGES
A truly informative look at the geography and history of the Irish landscape. More than an atlas, this is an analysis of how the land has effected the economical, educational and education development of the country, and vice-versa. (IRE57, $62.95)
 
Atonement  •  Ian McEwan
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 351 PAGES
A literary page-turner. This book is not only a pleasure to read, but is greatly evocative of Britain and its culture. The first part is set in pre-war British country estate; it's followed by a harrowing section on the Dunkirk retreat. The final section is set in modern-day London. The story concerns a family torn asunder by a great mistake that one of them makes as a child; it is rendered in rich, sensuous language, and great psychological nuance. A Booker Prize finalist and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. (GBR370, $15.00)
  Atonement
Bath City Map  •  Geographers' A-Z
MAP
A street plan of Bath, with parks and monuments, at a scale of 1:12,000. One Side. 23x37 inches. (GBR317, $9.95)
 
The Battle of Britain, The Myth and Reality  •  Richard Overy
HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES
Renowned war historian Richard Overy's reassessment of the Battle of Britain, arguing that while it was indeed a turning point in World War II, its significance has been slightly mythologized. (WAR28, $17.95)
 
Beowulf  •  Seamus Heaney
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 215 PAGES
A best-selling, critically acclaimed verse translation of the seminal Anglo-Saxon epic, which tells of a Scandinavian hero's bravery in defending Denmark from the monster Grendel. Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney translated. The Old English text appears side-by-side with Heaney's translation. (SCN27, $13.95)
 
Beside the Ocean of Time  •  George M. Brown
LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 217 PAGES • COMING IN
A gentle coming-of-age tale by the Bard of Orkney George Mackay Brown. His short novel invokes the prehistoric ruins, Norse history and long traditions of rural Orkney in graceful prose with lovely attention to detail and rich insight into place. Shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1994, Beside the Ocean of Time is told from the point of the young daydreamer Thorfinn Ragnarson, the son of a crofter. (SCT14, $19.95)
  Beside the Ocean of Time
Beth Chatto's Gravel Garden, Drought-Resistant Planting Through the Year  •  Steven Wooster  •  Beth Chatto
NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES
Turning a former parking lot into a fertile garden sounds like an impossible task but British horticulturist Beth Chatto rises to the challenge. Chatto shows fellow green-thumbs how to get their flowers to bloom in gravelly, sandy soil. Wooster's photographs bring Chatto's practical gardening advice and biography of her garden to life. (GRD01, $35.00)
 
The Big Fellow  •  Frank O'Connor
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES
A reissue of the classic biography of the charismatic revolutionary Michael Collins, elegantly written and even-handed. (IRE31, $12.00)
 
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)
  Birds of Britain & Europe
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury  •  Edith Pargeter
LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 378 PAGES
Another historical novel from the prolific English writer Edith Pargeter (aka Ellis Peters). Set at the turn of the 15th century, it is an engrossing yarn of medieval battles and disputes over feudal succession in the time of Henry IV. (GBR169, $13.50)
  A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury
Blue Guide Channel Islands  •  Peter McGregor Eadie
GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES
A compact guide to the Channel Islands with a focus on history, culture and architecture. It includes 8 maps and site plans, and travel information. (GBR148, $19.95)
  Blue Guide Channel Islands
The Bodleian Library and its Treasures, 1320-1700.  •  David Rogers
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1991 •  HARD COVER  • 175 PAGES
A colorful, fully illustrated introduction to the famous library at Oxford. (GBR220, $50.00)
 
The Body in the Library  •  Agatha Christie
MYSTERY •  2011 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES
In this Agatha Christie classic, a stylish blonde is found murdered at Grossington Hall and Miss Marple must put her keen observation skills to work to solve the crime. (GBR186, $12.99)
  The Body in the Library
The Book of Kells  •  Bernard Meehan
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 95 PAGES
Written by the keeper of manuscripts at Trinity College, this spectacular little book features 110 color illustrations, including enlargements, of some of the more spectacular decorations in this most famous of medieval manuscripts. Created by Celtic monks around 800 C.E. or a little earlier, the Book of Kells is a masterwork of Western calligraphy, combining traditional Christian iconography with the ornate styles of the time. (IRE09, $19.95)
  The Book of Kells
A Book of Migrations, Some Passages in Ireland  •  Rebecca Solnit
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2010 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES
In this intriguing book, the American-born author (now an Irish citizen) introduces the country, its history and literature in a series of essays. Solnit, a wonderful writer, is a thoughtful questioner of the modern Irish identity. (IRE44, $16.95)
  A Book of Migrations, Some Passages in Ireland
Brick Lane, A Novel  •  Monica Ali
LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES
This first novel, nominated for a Booker Prize, is a richly imagined, often painfully funny tale set in the South Asian community of London. The tale revolves around Nazneen, who arrived in London from Bangladesh at age 18, and her family. (GBR505, $16.00)
 
Brideshead Revisited  •  Evelyn Waugh
LITERATURE •  1993 •  HARD COVER  • 315 PAGES
A compact hardcover edition of Waugh's illuminating and entertaining portrait of England's aristocracy and, especially, of life in a country estate. (GBR106, $20.00)
 
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. One Side. 40x50 inches. (GBR07, $11.95)
  British Isles Map, Great Britain and Ireland
British Painting, The Golden Age  •  William Vaughan
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •   • 256 PAGES
An illustrated survey of painting in Britain between Hogarth's early works in the 1730s to the death of Turner in 1851, organized thematically. With 175 illustrations, including 67 in color. (GBR256, $19.95)
 
Britons: Forging the Nations, 1707-1837  •  Linda Colley
HISTORY •  2009 •  PAPER  • 442 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, $22.00)
 
The Burning of Bridget Cleary, A True Story  •  Angela Bourke
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES
The harrowing account of the turn-of-the-century murder of a young woman in rural Ireland and the subsequent trial of her husband. It's both a detailed social history and a riveting story that transports the reader to another time and place. The ditty "Are you a witch or are you a fairy or are you the wife of Micahel Cleary?" still reverberates in South Tipperary, where Cleary's greatest crime may have been that she was a vivacious, outspoken and beautiful woman. (IRE89, $16.00)
 
The Cambridge Illustrated History of British Theatre  •  Simon Trussler
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES • COMING IN
A comprehensive scholarly history of the theater from the Romans to the present, and Shakespeare to mimes -- featuring hundreds of illustrations, many in color. (GBR234, $47.00)
 
The Canterbury Tales (In Modern English)  •  Geoffrey Chaucer  •  Nevill Coghill
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 504 PAGES
A "Penguin Classics" edition of the cornerstone of medieval English literature, Chaucer's unfinished tales of pilgrims en route to Canterbury. Nevill Coghill makes the going easier by translating the 600-year-old collection of epic poetry into modern English prose, but it's still a weighty endeavor. (GBR250, $10.00)
 
A Celtic Miscellany  •  Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson
ANTHOLOGY •  1975 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
A survey of Celtic literature through the ages from bardic elegies to heroic sagas. (IRE93, $16.00)
 
Celtic Myths and Legends  •  T.W. Rolleston
LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 457 PAGES
The enchantment of the timeless world of the Celtic heroes, especially in Irish but also in Welsh myths and tales, is depicted in the legends of Arthur and many other traditional tales. Genealogical tables and a glossary complete this classic collection of the great Celtic myths first published in 1917. (GBR55, $12.95)
  Celtic Myths and Legends
The Celts, First Masters of Europe  •  Chriatiane Eluere
ARCHAEOLOGY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 175 PAGES • COMING IN
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, $15.95)
  The Celts, First Masters of Europe
A Certain Justice  •  P.D. James
MYSTERY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 431 PAGES
A terrific mystery set in a London law firm, starring the redoubtable Adam Dalgliesh. (GBR185, $15.00)
  A Certain Justice
Charles Darwin, The Power of Place  •  Janet Browne
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES
The second half of Browne's magisterial history, full of insight into Victorian science. In this big, engrossing volume she follows the fate of Darwin, and his ideas, from the return of the voyage of the Beagle until his death. (GBR375, $27.95)
  Charles Darwin, The Power of Place
Charles Rennie Mackintosh  •  Alan Crawford
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
A heavily illustrated, compact survey of the work of Scottish Art Nouveau designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. An architect, decorator and painter, Mackintosh helped revolutionize art and design in 20th century Europe. This book in the acclaimed "World of Art" series examines his progress from the turn of the century through the 1920s. (SCT24, $19.95)
 
The Children of Henry VIII  •  Alison Weir
HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 363 PAGES
This riveting account, both history and biography, examines the relationship of the four heirs left at Henry's death -- Prince Edward, "Bloody" Mary, Elizabeth, and Lady Jane Grey. Enlightening about the era and revealing in the portraits of the successors to Henry VIII, this is very enjoyable history. (GBR74, $16.00)
 
A Christmas Carol  •  Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 102 PAGES
The famous tale by the Victorian master, here with watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations. (GBR235, $3.95)
  A Christmas Carol
Chronicles  •  Jean Froissart  •  Geoffrey Brereton
HISTORY •  1978 •  PAPER
Written by one of Europe's great medieval historians and a witness to the events of the 14th century (including the Hundred Years War and the Black Death), this is the classic, firsthand account Europe at the eve of the Dark Ages. (EUR128, $16.00)
 
Churchill, A Biography  •  Roy Jenkins
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 1002 PAGES
A popular one-volume portrait. Jenkins focuses as much on the political life of Churchill as the personal, which befits an author active in British politics for over a century, (GBR356, $26.00)
 
City Secrets London  •  Robert Kahn
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  HARD COVER  • 250 PAGES
City Secrets London collects dozens of recommendations of where to go and what to do. It's a connoisseur's guide to the city and its attractions, with personal recommendations by artists, designers, architects and personalities who have made their homes there. Each contributor provides a brief profile of a favorite haunt. With detailed maps. (GBR327, $19.95)
  City Secrets London
Civility in an English Village  •  William Stephens
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES
An anthropologist investigates life in a British village where social problems are rare indeed. (GBR259, $19.95)
 
Clara's Grand Tour, Travels With a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-century Europe  •  Glynis Ridley
HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
The entertaining history of a most unusual eighteenth-century European celebrity. Clara the Indian rhinoceros was brought to Europe in 1741 by the Dutch sea captain Douwemout Van der Meer, and toured for seventeen years, to the delight of heads of state such as Louis XV and Frederick the Great. A marvelous and unique look at the introduction of Eastern wildlife into the Western world. (FRN536, $12.00)
  Clara's Grand Tour, Travels With a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-century Europe
Codebreakers, the Inside Story of Bletchley Park  •  Alan Stripp  •  F.H. Hinsley
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
The "inside story" of the British codebreakers who cracked the German Enigma code and turned the tide of World War II, as told by 27 of the codebreakers themselves. They were perhaps the most motley crew ever attached to the British government: an assortment of Oxford and Cambridge dons trained in classics and mathematics, thrust suddenly into the world of secret military intelligence. These narratives were written in 1970, shortly after a gag order was lifted. (WAR46, $19.95)
  Codebreakers, the Inside Story of Bletchley Park
The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats  •  W.B. Yeats  •  Richard Finneran
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES
This magnificent volume collects all of the poetry published during the lifetime of the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats, considered by many to be the finest of his generation. His poems, especially the later works, project a verbal brilliance that few have matched. The volume is also wonderfully evocative of the Irish character, regularly drawing on mythology, politics and history. Yeats had the unique habit of drafting his poems in prose, then laboriously sculpting them into the polished pieces you find here. They seem, finally -- effortless. With an introduction and commentary by editor Richard Finneran. (IRE34, $20.00)
 
The Collected Stories  •  Dylan Thomas
LITERATURE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
A wonderful collection of short stories by the celebrated Welsh author and poet. These imaginative stories are well worth re-reading for their vivid characters, sense of place and, especially, Thomas's elegant prose. (GBR134, $16.95)
  The Collected Stories
Collins Complete Guide to British Wildlife  •  P. Sterry
FIELD GUIDE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
A one-volume photographic guide to British wildlife, covering everything from fungi to mammals, including plants, insects, birds and fish. (GBR93, $34.95)
  Collins Complete Guide to British Wildlife
Color for Adventurous Gardeners  •  Jonathan Buckley  •  Christopher Lloyd
NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES
Practical advice on how to maximize the impact of color in your garden. In 11 chapters organized by shade, Lloyd explains color rules and when to break them. Over 200 photos demonstrate Lloyd's technique. (GRD08, $19.95)
 
Companion Guide Edinburgh and the Borders Country  •  A.J. Youngson
GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 420 PAGES
An introduction to the history, culture and architecture of this grand city and its outlying areas. Youngson covers in rich, personable detail the Old Town, 18th-century New Town and the gardens, castles and abbeys of the border country. (SCT19, $34.95)
  Companion Guide Edinburgh and the Borders Country
The Complete Angler, Or the Contemplative Man's Recreation  •  Izaak Walton  •  Charles Cotton
NATURAL HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES
In print for nearly 350 years, this classic of fly fishing literature is not only an informative introduction to the sport, it's a meditation on the timeless appeal of it. Walton combines anecdote, commentary and verse, with helpful instructions on technique, to create a literary, somewhat spiritual handbook. This new edition contains reproductions of woodcuts and etchings that appeared in an 1844 printing. It is the third most reprinted book in the English language (after the Bible and the works of Shakespeare). (FSH01, $15.00)
 
The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels  •  Patrick O'Brian
LITERATURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 6980 PAGES
Once you get started, it is very hard to stop -- but with the whole series you won't have to. Here they all are in a 5-volume omnibus edition, including the three chapters of O'Brian's unfinished 21st volume (both in facsimile and printed). Handsomely bound with a slipcase. (GBR424, $200.00)
  The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels
The Complete Jewish Guide to Britain and Ireland  •  Toni Kamins
GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 148 PAGES
A well research compact travel guide with a short overview of Jewish history and plenty of practical travel information on where to go and what to do. Organized geographically, the book includes synagogues, cemeteries, museums and other sites of Jewish interest (GBR366, $17.95)
 
Complete Plays of John M. Synge  •  J.M. Synge
LITERATURE •  1960 •  PAPER
This collection of plays by Irish luminary J.M Synge, who was instrumental in shaping Irish theatre at the turn of the 20th-century, includes his most famous work, "Playboy of the Western World." (IRE122, $12.00)
  Complete Plays of John M. Synge
The Complete Poems  •  John Keats  •  John Barnard
LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 731 PAGES
A collection of every poem that John Keats ever wrote, in a portable paperback edition from "Penguin Classics." (GBR162, $17.00)
 
The Complete Sherlock Holmes, All 4 Novels and 56 Short Stories  •  Arthur Conan Doyle
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 1122 PAGES
This paperback volume manages to collect every Sherlock Holmes story that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ever wrote, including "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and his three other short novels concerning the legendary detective. Not only are these fun mysteries, they are also quite evocative of life in Victorian England. (GBR157, $13.90)
 
Complete Works of Oscar Wilde  •  Oscar Wilde
LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 1216 PAGES
A one-volume edition of all the works of Wilde, including stories, plays, poems and essays. (IRE35, $25.00)
 
The Confession of Saint Patrick, And Letter to Coroticus  •  Saint Patrick  •  John Skinner  •  John O'Donohue
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER
The autobiography of the patron saint of Ireland, a short collection of his memories and ideas on the Christian faith written in the fifth century. This new translation also includes his "Letter to Coroticus," thus combining in one volume the two known works written by Patrick. (IRE102, $6.95)
  The Confession of Saint Patrick, And Letter to Coroticus
A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court  •  Mark Twain
LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 410 PAGES
Twain's comic 1889 novel, in which a 19th-century American finds himself transported to 6th-century England. He takes with him his beliefs in liberty, fraternity and equality -- new concepts at the court of King Arthur. With the original illustrations by Dan Beard. (GBR326, $10.00)
 
Coriolanus  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER
The generously annotated Cambridge edition edited by Lee Bliss. (GBR402, $13.95)
 
Cotswolds Map  •  Ordnance Survey
2005 •  MAP
A terrific, colorful, and very detailed topographic map of the Cotswolds, at a scale of 1:25,000. It shows Chipping, Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cirenchester, Burford and part of the Cortswold Way. Two Sides. 37x50 inches. (GBR124, $13.95)
  Cotswolds Map
The Course of Irish History  •  T.W. Moody  •  F.X. Martin
HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 504 PAGES
An collection of excellent essays on the history of Ireland from prehistory through the 1990s, written by 21 leading scholars. Arranged chronologically, this popular text is a well-balanced survey that includes Protestant and Catholic scholars from both Northern Ireland and the Republic. (IRE74, $18.95)
  The Course of Irish History
The Crafts of Britain in the Twentieth Century  •  Tanya Harrod
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 496 PAGES
From architecture to bookbinding, Harrod traces the cultural history of 20th-century design. With 284 black-and-white and 222 color illustrations. The companion volume to a museum exhibition, this handsome book is a good overview of a big subject. (GBR119, $95.00)
 
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, $15.00)
  Cross Channel
Daphne du Maurier, Haunted Heiress  •  Nina Auerbach
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 196 PAGES
A powerful psychological profile of the novelist by the author of "Our Vampires, Ourselves." Auerbach focuses on du Maurier's difficult family. (GBR117, $45.00)
 
David Copperfield  •  Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 1024 PAGES
Perhaps Dickens most famous novel, and certainly his most autobiographical, this classic is noteworthy for its vivid and painful descriptions of orphan life in Victorian London. (GBR381, $9.00)
 
Disease, Medicine and Society in England, 1550-1860  •  Roy Porter
HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 78 PAGES
A social history of England that examines the repercussions of disease before the development of modern public health care. A distinguished authority on the history of medicine, Porter uses recent research to make a strong contribution to both English and medical studies in this extended essay. (GBR112, $31.00)
 
Dracula  •  Bram Stoker
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 520 PAGES
The vampire novel that started it all. The gothic shocker is set within the dank castles and misty forests of Transylvania, and the foggy streets and staid country houses of Victorian England. Based on the legend of "Vlad the Impaler," Stoker's Dracula is more than a black cape and a Romanian accent, he's a tragic figure pining for lost identity and lost love. "Penguin Classics" edition. (EUR125, $11.00)
 
Dublin Map  •  Borch Maps
2004 •  MAP
A laminated, folded map of the city center of Dublin, at a scale of 1:12,000. Two Sides. 20 X 26 inches. (IRE96, $7.95)
  Dublin Map
Dubliners  •  James Joyce
LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES
This realistic portrait of what Joyce called "the second city of the British Empire" was written when the author was only 25. It is a milestone in the history of prose fiction -- and remains perhaps the finest collection of connected short stories ever published. The details of Dublin life among the lower middle class of shopkeepers, clerks and tradesmen illustrates the social decline and disillusionment of a defeated colonial city. (IRE15, $11.00)
  Dubliners
Early Ireland, An Introduction to Irish Prehistory  •  Michael O'Kelly
HISTORY •  1989 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES
An illustrated introduction to Irish prehistory, from the end of the Ice Age to the the first centuries of the Christian era. (IRE81, $82.00)
 
Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe  •  Henri Pirenne
HISTORY •  1936 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES
Pirenne, an important economic historian, traces the economic and social development of Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to the middle of the 15th century in this classic book, first published in 1936. It gives a concise picture of medieval Western Europe, including social disturbances, economic and social catastrophes, famine and the Black Death. A separate section on the North Sea and the Baltic contains specific references to the Hanseatic League. (EUR18, $15.95)
  Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe
Edinburgh Map  •  Streetwise
2000 •  MAP
A laminated, folded map of Edinburgh at a scale of 1:12,000. Two Sides. 9.5x36 inches. (SCT52, $7.95)
 
Eleanor of Aquitaine, A Life  •  Alison Weir
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES
Weir's enjoyable biography of the woman who was both queen of France (married to Louis VII) and queen of England (married to Henry II) shows Eleanor as an ambitious political and artistic powerbroker in an age when most women were seen but not heard. (FRN287, $17.00)
  Eleanor of Aquitaine, A Life
Ellis Peters' Shropshire  •  Ellis Peters
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 167 PAGES • COMING IN
A tour of Shropshire by the prolific historical novelist Edith Pargeter (aka Ellis Peters), who called it home for so many years. It is a personal, literary tour of the landscapes and towns of this beautiful piece of the British countryside. (GBR171, $15.95)
  Ellis Peters' Shropshire
Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas, A Golfer's Pilgrimage to the Courses of Ireland  •  James W. Finegan
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES
In this wonderful companion to Finegan's book on Scotland, Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens, the author returns to his native Ireland to explore both golf and the Irish people. (IRE25, $52.00)
  Emerald Fairways and Foam-Flecked Seas, A Golfer's Pilgrimage to the Courses of Ireland
Emigrants and Exiles: Ireland and the Irish Exodus to North America  •  Kerby A. Miller
HISTORY •  1988 •  PAPER  • 704 PAGES
An epic account of the trans-Atlantic Irish emigration. Much of Miller's research is focused on the personal letters, journals and memoirs of Irish emigrants. (IRE83, $24.95)
 
Empire, The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present  •  Denis Judd
HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 478 PAGES
This survey of British imperial history sums up the balance sheet of empire and the continuing debate over its meaning. Its epic theme is how the empire affected rulers and the ruled from the American Revolution to the present. Included are issues of gender, race, sexuality, and national identity in the confrontations between British missionaries and colonial subjects. (GBR80, $28.50)
 
The End of Hidden Ireland  •  Robert James Scally
HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
A scholarly, imaginative re-creation of a difficult period in the history of the townland of Ballykilcline. Subtitled "Rebellion, Famine and Emigration, it's a sympathetic account of of the small farmers and labors of the irish midlands, a community devastated by the black famine years of the 1840s and ongoing emigration to America. (IRE63, $50.00)
  The End of Hidden Ireland
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, $15.95)
  England, England
English Architecture, A Concise History  •  David Watkin
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1985 •  PAPER
A straightforward, illustrated history of English architecture from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. (GBR228, $14.95)
  English Architecture, A Concise History
English History 1914-1945  •  Alan Taylor
HISTORY •  1978 •  HARD COVER  • 737 PAGES
A volume in the monumental 15-volume Oxford History of England, originally published in 1965. For history enthusiasts who don't require many maps, illustrations, table or diagrams to leaven the text. (GBR219, $229.75)
 
English Reformations: Religion, Politics and Society Under the Tudors  •  Christpher Haigh
HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 367 PAGES
A scholarly history of the English Reformation. Haigh discards the idea that the Protestant establishment was somehow inevitable, and covers not only the rulers but how ordinary people received and shaped the changes of the 16th century. (GBR355, $55.00)
 
English Watercolors, An Introduction  •  Graham Reynolds
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1991 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES
Graham Reynold, former curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum, manages to lucidly and comprehensively discuss the entire history of English watercolor in one volume, no small feat. And he does it with aplomb, moving from Turner and Blake to modernists Lear and Lewis with skill. Recommended for both unschooled and scholarly lovers of art. (GBR182, $35.00)
 
Europe in Our Time, A History, 1945-1992  •  Walter Laqueur
HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 617 PAGES
An update of the classic general history of Europe since World War II, this enormously readable book offers a great overview of the events that have shaped our modern world. (EUR14, $17.95)
  Europe in Our Time, A History, 1945-1992
Eyewitness Guide Dublin  •  Eyewitness Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES
A compact guide to sites, attractions and places of Dublin featuring excellent maps and hundreds of full color photographs and site diagrams. With select recommendations on where to eat and stay. (IRE85, $20.00)
  Eyewitness Guide Dublin
Eyewitness Guide Great Britain  •  Eyewitness Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  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 Great Britain
Eyewitness Guide Ireland  •  Eyewitness Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES
This superb guide is a wonderfully illustrated introduction to the country, featuring photographs, maps and short background essays on history and culture. Organized geographically, it surveys the attractions of Ireland from Dublin's best pubs, to the Book of Kells and charming rural villages. Take it along. (IRE02, $25.00)
  Eyewitness Guide Ireland
Eyewitness Guide London  •  Eyewitness Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 448 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)
  Eyewitness Guide London
Eyewitness Guide Scotland  •  Eyewitness Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
A compact illustrated travel guide featuring bright color photography, dozens of excellent maps, and a region-by-region synopsis of Scotland's attractions. With a 50-page section on where to stay and eat. (SCT40, $25.00)
  Eyewitness Guide Scotland
Fallen into the Pit  •  Ellis Peters
MYSTERY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 325 PAGES
Edith Pargeter, who goes by the pen name of Ellis Peters, is best known for her medieval mystery series the "Chronicles of Brother Cadfael," but she has also written a series of 20th century mysteries concerning the brilliant detective George Felse. This is the first entry in the series, an intricately plotted whodunit set in 1950s England, where Felse must track down the murderer of a former German prisoner of war. Followed by 13 other Felse mysteries. (GBR167, $20.00)
 
Far Afield  •  Susanna Kaysen
LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 338 PAGES
This charming novel about a social anthropologist off on a grant to study the residents of the Faroes wonderfully evokes the people, culture and windswept landscapes of the islands. Kaysen must have spent time in the islands to capture such a strong sense of place. (ICL08, $17.00)
  Far Afield
Far From the Shamrock Shore  •  Mick Moloney
MUSIC •  2002 •  CASETTE TAPE
The Irish immigrant experience as expressed through song-by a popular ethnomusicologist, performer and founder of Irish Folkways. A music CD (IRE116, $17.98)
 
The Far Islands and Other Cold Places, Travel Essays of A Victorian Lady  •  Elizabeth Taylor
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES • COMING IN
Here are the tales of a no-nonsense "Victorian lady," featuring her great love for remote islands with bad weather. She writes of the people, culture, traditions and natural history of Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands with grace and insight. (ARC32, $16.95)
  The Far Islands and Other Cold Places, Travel Essays of A Victorian Lady
The Farfarers, Before the Norse  •  Farley Mowat
HISTORY •  2011 •  PAPER  • 377 PAGES
Farley Mowat, who 40 years ago proposed his theories involving the Viking discovery of America in Westviking, offers up an original hypothesis in this provocative history of Atlantic exploration. A professional rabble-rouser, Mowat posits that a group of Europeans, whom he calls the Albans, may have come to America hundreds of years before the Vikings. (VIK10, $16.95)
  The Farfarers, Before the Norse
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, $25.00)
  A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe
Final Rounds, A Father, a Son, the Golf Journey of a Lifetime  •  James Dodson
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
Golf magazine columnist Dodson tells the heartfelt story of a trip with his father, during his father's final months, to the great courses of Scotland and England. With plenty of golf lore and legend, and the wise conclusion that golf is mostly about who you choose to play with. (GOL02, $16.00)
 
Five Days in London, May 1940  •  John Lukacs
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
The days in question are May 24-28th, 1940 -- a long weekend shortly after the Allied loss at Dunkirk, when Winston Churchill convinced his cabinet that Great Britain should continue the war with Germany. In this fly-on-the wall account, Lukacs argues that Churchill's success marked the true beginning of World War II. (WAR47, $11.95)
  Five Days in London, May 1940
Flashman and the Tiger  •  George MacDonald Fraser
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES
Fraser plumbs the annals of history to produce his factual, entertaining tales of folly in the service of her Majesty's empire. This 11th installment in The Flashman Papers (purportedly retrieved and not written by George Macdonald Fraser, a nice conceit), consists of three short adventures, which find our hero cavorting with Bismarck and Emperor Franz-Josef and the future Edward VI. (WAF58, $16.00)
  Flashman and the Tiger
Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best  •  Fodor's
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES
A shirt-pocket guide to Dublin, this slim book includes an excellent map of the city's center and essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing, all in a slipcover. A perfect guide for a brief visit. (IRE30, $11.99)
  Fodor's Dublin's 25 Best
Folktales of Ireland  •  Sean O'Sullivan
LITERATURE •  1968 •  PAPER  • 321 PAGES
No nation is better known for its folktales than Ireland. These are not myths and legends but a representative collection of fables and tales, often with a moral, by the chief archivist of the Folklore of Ireland Society including stories about animals and birds, kings and warriors, saints and sinners, magicians and witches, and people of the otherworld. (IRE24, $32.00)
 
Footprint Scotland Highlands and Islands Handbook  •  Alan Murphy
GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  HARD COVER  • 495 PAGES
A well organized comprehensive guide in the British series with helpful sketch maps throughout. (SCT62, $24.95)
  Footprint Scotland  Highlands and Islands Handbook
For the Love of Ireland, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers  •  Susan Cahill
ANTHOLOGY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 458 PAGES
A rich anthology of writing about Ireland by such Irish luminaries as James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney, William Trevor, Frank McCourt, Edna O'Brien and Samuel Beckett. The well-chosen excerpts, organized by province, evoke the geography of Ireland in wonderful literary detail. Cahill provides an introduction to each selection, along with specific routes and advice for the literary traveler. Highly recommended for any traveler, the anthology is also a fine introduction to Irish literature. The excerpts include short stories, novels, poems and memoirs. (IRE77, $15.95)
  For the Love of Ireland, A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers
The French Lieutenant's Woman  •  John Fowles
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 467 PAGES
This Victorian love story, set in Lyme Regis of 1867, tells the tale of an obscure relationship between Charles Smithson and a mysterious, enigmatic woman. Skilfully told, it's as much about the author's modern day narration as it is about the hypocrisies of Victorian England. (GBR209, $15.99)
  The French Lieutenant's Woman
Garden Masterclass  •  John Brookes
NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES
A visually striking, definitive book of garden design. Full color photographs and explanatory sketches will inspire even those not blessed with an eye for landscape design. With chapters on setting, shape, structure and contour, sheltered areas, water, plantings, entrance, surfaces and style. (GRD07, $40.00)
 
Garden Open Tomorrow  •  Beverley Nichols
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 275 PAGES
In this last book of his long gardening and writing career, Nichols reflects on nature's role as the ultimate gardener. Nichols' writing is full of wit, charm and many digressions including his thoughts on cats and plants as murder weapons. (GRD03, $24.95)
 
The Garden Through the Year  •  Fred Whitsey  •  Graham Stuart Thomas
NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES
A month-by-month guide to gardening that weaves practical advice on plant introduction with Thomas' own thoughts on the craft. (GRD06, $49.95)
 
The Gothic Cathedral  •  Christopher Wilson
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES
An illustrated overview of gothic cathedrals, their history, design and construction, covering the masterpieces built from the 12th to the 16th century. With photographs and diagrams. (EUR80, $34.95)
 
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral  •  Robert A. Scott
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES
Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $21.95)
  The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral
The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals  •  Dorothy Wordsworth  •  Pamela Woof
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2008 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES
The journals Dorothy Wordsworth kept during her years in Somerset (1797-8) and at Dove Cottage in the Grasmere Valley of England's Lake District (1800-3) cover the landscapes and people of the regions, as well as the time she spent with her brother William and their friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (GBR197, $18.90)
  The Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals
Great Britain / Ireland Motoring Atlas  •  Michelin Travel Publications
2009 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
A spiral-bound atlas covering all of Great Britain and Ireland at a scale 1:400,000. With a detailed index. (GBR411, $27.95)
 
Great Britain and Ireland Map  •  HEMA Maps
MAP
A nicely detailed map showing both Great Britain and Ireland at a scale of 1:750,000. Two Sides. 56x39 inches. (GBR31, $10.95)
  Great Britain and Ireland Map
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 1:625,000. Two Sides. 38x50 inches. (GBR06, $14.95)
  Great Britain Map
Great Expectations  •  Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES
Dickens at the top of his form. It follows Pip, from a boy orphan taken in by the eccentric Miss Havisham to a young man who finds himself benefactor to a small fortune. A "Penguin Classics" edition. (GBR380, $9.00)
 
The Great Hunger: Ireland, 1845-1849  •  Cecil Woodham-Smith
HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 510 PAGES
A masterful account of the Irish potato famine in which over one million people died. Woodham-Smith is especially good at describing the suffering of the Irish emigrants and in exposing the hostile Anglo-Irish relations of the time. (IRE76, $18.00)
 
Green Shadows, White Whale  •  Ray Bradbury
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 237 PAGES
Set in Dublin, this 1953 hymn to Ireland recounts Bradbury's hilarious experiences writing the Moby Dick screenplay with John Huston (who Bradbury refers to affectionately as the "Devil Himself"). Whether fact, fiction or thinly disguised memoir, Bradbury is one terrific guide to Ireland, the Irish, the ways of writers and movie makers -- and how to write the perfect sentence. It's dedicated to the staff of the Royal Hibernian Hotel. (IRE53, $13.99)
  Green Shadows, White Whale
A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany  •  Aubrey Burl
GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 276 PAGES
An excellent guide to finding -- and understanding -- all the major sites, plus a few not-so-well known ones. It includes maps, black-and-white photographs, site diagrams, and a bibliography. (GBR102, $37.00)
  A Guide to the Stone Circles of Britain, Ireland and Brittany
Hadrian's Wall Map  •  Ordnance Survey
1998 •  MAP
A detailed, comprehensive map of Haltwhistle, Hexam and parts of Northumberland National Park suitable for walkers. It shows public rights of way and tourist information along the route of Hadrian's Wall, a World Heritage site. This double-sided map is at a scale of 1:25,000. Outdoor Leisure Map 43. Two Sides. 50x37 inches. (GBR304, $23.95)
  Hadrian's Wall Map
Hadrian, The Restless Emperor  •  Anthony Birley
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 424 PAGES
An up-to-date, scholarly biography of Hadrian, chronicling the emperor's state, cultural and architectural accomplishments, and personal life (including his homosexual relationship with Antinous). (ITL260, $42.95)
  Hadrian, The Restless Emperor
Hamlet  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 420 PAGES
A reprinting of John Dover's classic Cambridge Shakespeare series. (GBR349, $29.00)
 
A Handful of Dust  •  Evelyn Waugh
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 308 PAGES
Satirical novel of Britain between the wars. (GBR190, $14.99)
  A Handful of Dust
Harbors and High Seas, An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian  •  Dean King
LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 258 PAGES
Here's the book we use to navigate Patrick O'Brian's maritime adventures. For each novel, it includes maps, itinerary, plot summary and, most helpfully, a place-by-place description of islands, seas, cities and harbors. An excellent companion. Third edition. (GBR423, $22.99)
  Harbors and High Seas, An Atlas and Geographical Guide to the Complete Aubrey Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian
Hemingway's Chair  •  Michael Palin
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
The celebration of Hemingway has even spread to a first novel "Hemingway's Chair" by Monty Python alum and travel writer, Michael Palin. Its subject is one Martin Sproale, a disgruntled East Anglican postal worker whose great passion is manifest in collecting Hemingway memorabilia, a shrine to the author in his bedroom -- and the taking up of the author's favorite pastime: drinking. (GBR111, $16.99)
  Hemingway's Chair
Henry Esmond  •  Wiliam Makepeace Thackeray
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES
This military romance, set in 18th-century England during the reign of Queen Anne, is one of the greatest historical novels ever written. Blending psychological drama and history, it is the story of a gentleman and officer wrestling with his allegiance to the old Tory-Catholic England until disillusionment forces him to come to terms with the Whig-Protestant future. Excellent on the history and the warfare of the time, this novel was instantly recognized as a masterpiece. (GBR85, $7.95)
 
Here Is Where We Meet  •  John Berger
LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $15.00)
  Here Is Where We Meet
Highlanders, A History of the Highland Clans  •  Fitzroy MacLean
HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 276 PAGES
A marvelous storyteller, Maclean (Eastern Approaches) recounts the sweep and particulars of the origins, uprisings and personalities of Highland Scotland. He recounts the history, clans, and culture of the region from Celtic origins to the present. Originally published in 1995 as a companion book to a documentary series. (SCT33, $35.00)
  Highlanders, A History of the Highland Clans
The Hill Bachelors  •  William Trevor
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
No one writes better short fiction than William Trevor. This collection of 12 stories captures the life and people of rural Ireland. (IRE42, $15.00)
  The Hill Bachelors
The History and Topography of Ireland  •  John O'Meara  •  Gerald of Wales
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1984 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES
Arguably the most authoritative primary source for what is known about medieval Ireland, this lively history by a twelfth-century Norman describes the land's topography, natural resources, and inhabitants in vivid detail. (IRE92, $14.00)
  The History and Topography of Ireland
A History of Britain, The Complete Collection  •  Simon Schama
HISTORY •  2010 •  DVD
The History Channel/BBC co-production of Schama's captivating visual history of Britain, presented as a boxed DVD set with all 15 episodes: Beginnings, Conquest, Dynasty, Nations, King Death, Burning Convictions, The Body of the Queen, The British Wars, Revolutions, Britannia Incorporated, The Wrong Empire, Forces of Nature, Victoria and her Sisters, Empire of Good Intentions, The Two Winstons. (GBR506, $59.98)
  A History of Britain, The Complete Collection
A History of Britain, The Wars of the British 1603-1776  •  Simon Schama
HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 540 PAGES
The second volume in Schama's popular history of Britain. Rather than organize the book chronologically, Schama focuses on key events and personalities. Published in conjunction with the documentary on PBS. (GBR504, $40.00)
  A History of Britain, The Wars of the British 1603-1776
A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 B.C.-1603 A.D.  •  Simon Schama
HISTORY •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 416 PAGES
An old-fashioned entertaining history of Britain by the prolific writer. This book, which includes some color photographs and maps, is the first of several companion volumes to the television documentary. (GBR203, $40.00)
  A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 B.C.-1603 A.D.
A History of Britain: The Fate of Empire, 1776-2000  •  Simon Schama
HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 576 PAGES
The episodic, crowd-pleasing finish to Schama's three-volume history, every bit as fascinating as his earlier books. Gratefully, Schama sidesteps the urge for a definitive year-by year account in favor of a focus on key events and personalities. He zooms in on the French Revolution, Victoria & Albert's 1851 Great Exhibition, Ireland, India, Churchill and Orwell. This book, like the previous volumes, shares a common origin in Schama's television series. Despite a tendency to catalog, Schama is an engaging writer with flair. (GBR416, $40.00)
 
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)
 
The History of King Lear  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER
The "Oxford World Classics" edition. (GBR350, $10.95)
 
A History of Scotland  •  J.D. Mackie
HISTORY •  1978 •  PAPER  • 380 PAGES
Mackie reveals how the Scots long pursued an independent line -- i-n religion, law, culture and foreign policy -- that helped them keep at bay the Romans, the French and the English in concise history, covering the nation from the Mesolithic to modern times, vividly written and fair. This second edition carries the national story forward to the 1970s. (SCT16, $18.00)
  A History of Scotland
How Green Was My Valley  •  Richard Llewellyn
LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 495 PAGES
This best-selling and beloved story, full of humor and pathos, paints an indelible portrait of Wales and the Welsh. It is a reminiscence of youth at a time when south Wales prospered, before the dust of coal blackened the valley. This novel was the basis for the classic film. (GBR69, $17.00)
  How Green Was My Valley
How the Irish Saved Civilization  •  Thomas Cahill
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 236 PAGES
Subtitled "The untold story of Ireland's heroic role from the fall of Rome to the rise of medieval Europe," this national bestseller tells the generally unknown story of Ireland's preservation of classical learning in the Dark Ages. This island of saints and scholars, monks and scribes labored to reproduce important texts and spread the learning as they evangelized Europe. This book is a very interesting look at this forgotten chapter in history. (IRE07, $15.95)
  How the Irish Saved Civilization
Hugh Casson's Oxford  •  Hugh Casson
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES
A personal tribute to Oxford -- in words and watercolors -- by the late former president of the British Royal Academy. Casson, who was an architect as well as a watercolorist, renders the city so that it is recognizable for traveler and native alike. (GBR240, $14.95)
 
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)
 
In a Time of Violence  •  Eavan Boland
LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 70 PAGES
Irish poet Boland writes of her native land, and of the violences there -- personal, political, historical and familial in this powerful collection. (IRE86, $15.95)
 
In Search of England  •  H.V. Morton  •  James Morris
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 274 PAGES
The much-beloved, enduring account of Morton's ramblings through the English countryside in the early days of the motorcar. As in all of his many travel books, Morton charmingly mixes a deep appreciation of the art, culture, and especially, the history of a place with his own keen observations. First published in 1927 and now returned to print in a handsome paper edition with an introduction by Jan Morris. (GBR368, $16.00)
  In Search of England
In Search of England  •  Michael Wood
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
Michael Wood combs the countryside in search of clues to English history and identity. (GBR323, $26.95)
  In Search of England
In Search of London  •  H.V. Morton
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES
An enduring portrait of the city and especially of its history, originally published a half-century ago. As in all of his travel books, Morton charmingly mixes a deep appreciation of the art, culture and, especially, the history of a place with his own keen observations. (GBR269, $18.50)
 
An Innocent in Ireland, Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters  •  David W. McFadden
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
A Canadian poet and essayist embarks on an ambitious journey in the footsteps of H. V. Morton's 1930's route through Ireland. Soon abandoning his quest, McFadden finds himself simply walking the Irish countryside, exploring the modern day Irish character and history. Determinedly eccentric, McFadden has an ear for dialogue and a penchant for evocative descriptions of his encounters. (IRE22, $18.95)
  An Innocent in Ireland, Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters
An Innocent in Scotland, More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters  •  David W. McFadden
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 346 PAGES
A sequel to his rambles in Ireland, McFadden again taps local lore, personality and history in this most entertaining journey through Scotland. As more of an excuse to travel than a formula, the book is loosely modeled after Morton's 1920s "In Search of Scotland." (SCT28, $18.95)
  An Innocent in Scotland, More Curious Rambles and Singular Encounters
Insight Compact Guide North York Moors  •  Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER
A brief, easy-to-carry, and colorful introduction to the North York Moors, this useful guide features plenty of photos and maps, and covers all the major attractions. (GBR146, $7.95)
 
Insight Compact Guide Northumbria  •  Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 79 PAGES
A brief, illustrated guide featuring color photographs and maps. (GBR200, $7.95)
  Insight Compact Guide Northumbria
Insight Compact Guide Scottish Highlands  •  Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 79 PAGES
A brief introduction to the Scottish Highlands with color photos, maps and suggested routes. (SCT32, $7.95)
  Insight Compact Guide Scottish Highlands
Insight Guide Scotland  •  Josephine Buchanan
GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 346 PAGES
A thoroughly illustrated guide combining hundreds of photographs, excellent color maps and brief essays on the culture, history and nature of Scotland. (SCT64, $23.95)
  Insight Guide Scotland
Insight Pocket Guide Dublin  •  Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES
This slim, illustrated guide features a pullout map. (IRE187, $13.95)
 
Inventing Ireland, The Literature of the Modern Nation  •  Declan Kiberd
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 736 PAGES
This engaging, and often passionate, study of Ireland's modern literature is an introduction to the panorama of Irish culture during the last century. It may change the way you look at the works of Beckett, Joyce and Swift, and Irish literature as a whole. (IRE54, $40.50)
 
The Invention of Love  •  Tom Stoppard
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 102 PAGES
Tom Stoppard's play delivers a powerful, intricate meditation on life, scholarship and the after-life in this brilliant play which has writer A.E. Houseman ("A Shropshire Lad") adrift on the River Styx, where he meets his younger Oxford University self, and reflects on a life lived in the shadow of Oscar Wilde. The often erudite dialogue dazzles with wit and humor. (GBR165, $12.00)
  The Invention of Love
Ireland East Holiday Map  •  Ireland Ordnance Survey
MAP
A locally published, detailed map of the eastern part of Ireland at a scale of 1:250,000. One Side. 42x26 inches. (IRE117, $19.95)
  Ireland East Holiday Map
Ireland in Mind  •  Alice Powers
ANTHOLOGY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
Powers selects from three centuries of great writing about Ireland by writers, local and foreign, including Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and Frank McCourt for this spirited anthology. Taken as a whole the anthology evokes the spirit of the country and character of the Irish people. (IRE71, $13.00)
  Ireland in Mind
Ireland Map  •  Michelin
2011 •  MAP
A colorful map of Ireland at a scale of 1:400,000, featuring insets of the road approaches to major cities, as well as an index to cities, towns, and villages. One Side. 41x35 inches. (IRE23, $11.95)
  Ireland Map
Ireland North Map  •  Ireland Ordnance Survey
2005 •  MAP
A locally published, detailed map of the northern part of Ireland at a scale of 1:250,000. One Side. 26x42 inches. (IRE48, $17.95)
  Ireland North Map
Ireland, a Bicycle, and a Tin Whistle  •  David Wilson
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES
Whether it's the author's adventures in crowded pubs or out in the wild, this travel account is a modest, humorous report on Ireland, its people, festivals and cultures -- with a particular focus on traditional music. Cartoons by Justin Palmer add to the fun. (IRE17, $19.95)
  Ireland, a Bicycle, and a Tin Whistle
Ireland, A Concise History from the Twelfth Century to the Present Day  •  Paul Johnson
HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 262 PAGES
This best-selling author's look at the Emerald Isle through siege, rebellion, civil war, and independence is a stimulating and sometimes provocative history. He explores the land from its Gaelic roots to conquest by the British, rebellion and union, famine and the diaspora, freedom and partition. (IRE03, $15.95)
 
Ireland, A Social and Cultural History, 1922 to the Present  •  Terence K. Brown
HISTORY •  1895 •  PAPER  • 302 PAGES
A well written history of Ireland, emphasizing the relationship between the country's cultural influences and its politics, economics and church-state affairs. A popular college text. (IRE73, $23.95)
 
The Irish Experience, a Concise History  •  Thomas E. Hachey  •  Lawrence John McCaffrey  •  Joseph M. Hernon, Jr.
HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 303 PAGES
A chronological review of the Irish historical experience, from the Celts to the modern conflict in Northern Ireland written for a North American audience. Originally published in 1988 and revised in 1996 for this second edition. (IRE87, $38.95)
 
Irish Fairy and Folk Tales  •  W.B. Yeats
LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 380 PAGES
This volume combines two books of folklore edited by the Nobel Prize-winning poet who spearheaded the Celtic Renaissance in the early 20th century. These stories of changelings, ghosts, mermaids, demons, saints, priests and fairies are enchanting and entertaining. Originally published in 1918. (IRE04, $16.00)
  Irish Fairy and Folk Tales
Irish Journal  •  Heinrich Boll
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2011 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES
Insightful, witty and deeply human, German novelist Boll records his impressions of Ireland on a 1950s journey through the country with his family. He writes of his escalating difficulties exchanging money, his adventures in Irish pubs and his impressions of the people. (IRE12, $14.95)
  Irish Journal
Ivanhoe, A Romance  •  Sir Walter Scott
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES
A rousing tale of gallantry set in England in the era of Robin Hood. (GBR237, $5.95)
 
Jack Aubrey Commands, An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian  •  Brian Lavery
HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 182 PAGES
A curator at the National Naval Museum in Greenwich, Lavery sketches the historical context, facts and details of naval life in the era of Napoleon, Horatio Nelson and the British Navy. With 120 archival illustrations, drawings, maps and photographs drawn from the Museum. Among Lavery's many other books on maritime history is the encyclopedic reference, "Nelson's Navy, The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1793-1815" (GBR385). (GBR422, $45.00)
  Jack Aubrey Commands, An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O'Brian
Jamaica Inn  •  Daphne du Maurier
LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 302 PAGES
This classic has all the elements of a guilty pleasure: piracy, murder, the High Church, a dying request and a dashing young horse thief. Du Maurier uses the wild Cornish landscape to great atmospheric effect. (GBR52, $7.99)
  Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn  •  Alfred Hitchcock
1939 •  DVD
An adaptation by Hitchcock (who made Rebecca a year later) of the atmospheric tale set in 19th-century Cornwall with Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara. DVD (GBR62, $29.99)
  Jamaica Inn
James Hutton, the Founder of Modern Geology  •  Scottish Natural Heritage
1997 •  PAPER
(GEO07, $28.00)
 
Jane Eyre  •  Charlotte Bronte
LITERATURE •  2011 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES
The classic novel of the romance of the titular character and the brooding and enigmatic Mr. Rochester. (GBR404, $7.99)
  Jane Eyre
A Journal of the Plague Year  •  Daniel Defoe
LITERATURE •  1966 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
In 1665, when Defoe was a child, plague struck London. His classic fictional account of that time, told in the guise of truth, makes historically vivid, realistic fiction -- the prototype of all accounts of great cities under siege in disease or war. (GBR87, $10.00)
 
Karen Brown's England,Charming Bed & Breakfasts  •  June Brown
GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 300 PAGES
A survey of highly recommended bed and breakfasts throighout England. (GBR308, $19.95)
 
Karen Brown's Ireland, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries  •  June Brown
GUIDEBOOK •  2010 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES
A survey of inns, castles and other lodging of character, along with suggested itineraries and highlights of each region. (IRE88, $19.95)
  Karen Brown's Ireland, Exceptional Places to Stay & Itineraries
Kidnapped  •  Robert Louis Stevenson
LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
Set in 18th-century Scotland after the Jacobite Rebellion, this is a story of attempted murder, shipwreck, and kidnapping as told by a young Whig who has been deceived by his missing uncle. With great feeling for the Scottish landscape, history, and the local atmosphere, this classic tale of the conflict between Lowlanders and Highlanders mirrors the split sympathies of the author himself. (SCT02, $9.00)
  Kidnapped
King Arthur and His Knights  •  Eugene Vinaver
LITERATURE •  1975 •  PAPER  • 231 PAGES
This volume includes English Arthurian fiction directly attributable to Malory's original tales -- including thoroughly readable accounts of the exploits of King Arthur, Merlin, Sir Lancelot, Gawain and the Green Knight, and the legend of the Holy Grail. (GBR90, $19.99)
 
Knopf Guide England and Wales  •  Knopf Guides
GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES
An excellent guide to the culture, history and sights of England and Wales. Like other Knopf guides, this volume is heavily illustrated with over a thousand color illustrations to accompany you on your tour of the British Isles. With tips on transportation, lodging, dining and shopping. (GBR191, $28.95)
 
Lake District Tourist Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
A terrific, colorful, and very detailed map of the Lake District, at a scale of 1: 110,000 (1 inch = 1 3/4 mile). With tourist information on the reverse side. One Side. 50x37 inches. (GBR125, $14.95)
  Lake District Tourist Map
The Lake District, Landmark Visitors Guide  •  Landmark Publishing
GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • COMING IN
A compact, fully illustrated guide to the Lake District, featuring dozens of maps, visitor attractions, travel information and suggested walks. (GBR141, $17.95)
  The Lake District, Landmark Visitors Guide
Land's End/Penzance & St Ives  •  Ordnance Survey
1996 •  MAP
A detailed topographic map of the region with walking trails and landmarks at a scale of 1:25,000. One Side. 38x50 inches. (GBR343, $23.95)
 
Lands End, The Lizard Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
A detailed map of the most southwestern portion of England, which covers much of the western part of Cornwall. Scale 1:50,000. One Side. 35x39 inches. (GBR123, $19.95)
  Lands End, The Lizard Map
The Last Detective  •  Peter Lovesey
MYSTERY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES
This sophisticated gumshoe novel features an old-fashioned detective, a drowned BBC actress, a pair of stolen Jane Austen letters and a suspenseful chase through the Roman baths of Bath. (GBR314, $13.00)
  The Last Detective
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, $16.95)
  Letters from London
The Lie of the Land: Irish Identities  •  Fintan O'Toole
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 172 PAGES
O'Toole's essays -- informed by an appreciation of history and the arts -- reveal through interviews a complex nation in the midst of change. This book collects some of his best writing over the last two decades, an elegantly written, witty and insightful portrait. (IRE60, $14.00)
  The Lie of the Land: Irish Identities
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, $45.00)
  Life in the English Country House, A Social and Architectural History
The Lindisfarne Gospels  •  Janet Backhouse
RELIGION •  1993 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES
A detailed, illustrated history of the illuminated manuscripts produced by the monks of the Lindisfarne monastery in Northumbria. All the major pages and many details of the manuscript are reproduced in full color. It's a handsome introduction for anyone with an interest in manuscript illustration and the early history of Celtic Britain. Janet Backhouse is curator of illuminated manuscripts at the British Library (GBR201, $14.95)
  The Lindisfarne Gospels
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)
 
The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England  •  Antonia Fraser
HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
Lady Antonia Fraser gathers eight British historians for this fully illustrated, engaging history of the monarchy, updated to include a new chapter on the House of Windsor. It's a tremendous resource on English royalty, chock full of personality, incident and scandal. Fraser, who has made her career chronicling the lives of the royals, has also written memorably about Mary Queen of Scots and the Wives of Henry the VIII. (GBR160, $34.95)
  The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England
Living Britain  •  Peter Crawford
NATURAL HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER
The companion volume to the BBC series, this nicely illustrated book follows the wildlife of the British Isles month-by-month throughout the year. With essays, maps and directions to parks and reserves where wildlife can be seen in Britain. (GBR373, $27.95)
 
London Perceived  •  Evelyn Hofer  •  V. S. Pritchett
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  PAPER  • 214 PAGES
A love letter to the city -- which Pritchett endearingly calls a splodge -- and especially of the life of the place. In his mind, London means experience, and in these pages he wanders (often in the company of great authors from times past) through the neighborhoods, parks, palaces, pubs, markets, cemeteries and backwaters of the city. Prichett's eloquent riffs are accompanied by handsome black-and-white photographs by Evelyn Hofer. First published in 1962. (GBR310, $19.95)
  London Perceived
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 History
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)
  London, A Social History
London, The Novel  •  Edward Rutherfurd
LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 1126 PAGES
Interweaving the lives of ordinary people, minor personalities and real events, this novel marches through 2,000 years of London history. In the style made famous by James Michener, it's exhaustively researched, factual and monumental in scale. (GBR98, $18.95)
 
Lonely Planet England  •  David Else
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 864 PAGES
A practical guide in the popular series, England joins the lineup of newly redesigned Lonely Planet guides. (GBR421, $24.99)
 
Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring  •  Lonely Planet
GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 1284 PAGES
A practical guide to traveling Europe on a budget. (EUR137, $27.99)
 
Lonely Planet Great Britain  •  Tom Smallman  •  Bryn Thomas  •  Pat Yale
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 1056 PAGES
A practical guide to Great Britain covering England, Scotland and Wales. Featuring introductions to each country's culture, art and history, along with 160 maps and a great deal of practical information, this is an extremely useful guide for the independent traveler. It also includes extensive information on travel in London, including color maps. (GBR202, $29.99)
  Lonely Planet Great Britain
Lonely Planet Ireland  •  Fionn Davenport
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 764 PAGES
This 10th edition of the practical guide in the popular series features 88 all new maps, 3D diagrams of iconic sites and comprehensive coverage. (IRE121, $24.99)
 
Lonely Planet Scotland  •  Tom Smallman  •  Graeme Cornwallis
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES
In its hallmark style, this practical guide to Scotland by Lonely Planet features maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a section of color photos and 50 maps. (SCT37, $22.99)
  Lonely Planet Scotland
Lonely Planet Wales  •  John King
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 356 PAGES
A comprehensive practical guide to Wales, including much information about lodging, food and transportation and an overview of history and culture. (GBR337, $21.99)
  Lonely Planet Wales
The Longitude Prize  •  Joan Dash  •  Dusan Petricic
LITERATURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES
Excellent reading for young readers ages 9-12, Dash tells the story of an 18th century prize offered by the British government to the inventor of a device that can accurately measure a ship's longitude at sea. The protagonist, John Harrison, invents a functional clock, but his acceptance into the scientific world and aristocratic society is hindered by his lack of formal education. (GBR193, $17.00)
 
Lorna Doone  •  R.D. Blackmore
LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 680 PAGES
A classic originally published in 1869, this historical novel is set at the time of the Monmouth Rebellion in the 17th century during the reign of Charles II. A yeoman farmer living in Exmoor plans to rescue and marry a young aristocrat whose family killed his father. (GBR83, $13.95)
  Lorna Doone
The Luck of the Irish, Our Life in County Clare  •  Niall Williams  •  Christine Breen
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 234 PAGES
The fourth book (all with cute titles) of life in rural Ireland from an Irish-American family, this one was written after nearly ten years living on a farm. It focuses on the economic realities -- Niall and his wife get part-time jobs -- and day-to-day life in Ireland. (IRE32, $20.00)
  The Luck of the Irish, Our Life in County Clare
The Mabinogion  •  Jeffrey Gantz
LITERATURE •  1976 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES
These eleven Welsh stories, beautiful in their strangeness, combine fact with fantasy, myth with history and folklore, into one of the great Welsh epics, the only Welsh collection that survived. Composed orally over the centuries, passed down and embellished by storytellers, finally written down in the 13th century, this is the story of Welsh history, full of heroics and the idealistic world of Celtic Britain, with Arthur's court as the backdrop. (GBR67, $13.00)
  The Mabinogion
Magnum Ireland  •  John Banville
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES
An evocative collection of 250 photographs of the people, landscapes and changing face of Ireland from the 1950s to the 21st century. Banville has chosen images from a stellar crop of photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson and Eve Arnold. Each section of the book is introduced by a talented writer, including John Banville, Anthony Cronin, Anne Enright, Eamonn McCann, Nuala O'Faolain, Fintan O'Toole, and Colm Toibin. (IRE170, $60.00)
  Magnum Ireland
Making of the Middle Ages  •  Richard W. Southern
HISTORY •  1953 •  PAPER
A classic history of 10th to 13th century Europe, covering culture, politics and major personalites. (EUR105, $21.00)
 
Mammals of Europe  •  Priscilla Barrett  •  David W. MacDonald
FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
Published by Princeton, this is a field guide to land and marine mammals throughout Europe, both endemic and introduced. With more than 600 color illustrations of over 200 mammals, it's a comprehensive handbook, with detailed descriptions, range maps and commentary on behavior. (FG61, $38.50)
  Mammals of Europe
Mansfield Park  •  Jane Austen
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER
(GBR354, $6.95)
 
Mary Queen of Scots  •  Antonia Fraser
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1993 •  PAPER  • 613 PAGES
Claimant to the thrones of two nations by her royal birth, Mary lost her head by scandalizing her world with a foolish passion. Betrayed by those she trusted, she lost the power game to her cousin Elizabeth I. This richly readable biography, the story of a legend who was loved even en route to her death, illuminates Mary's age as well as the figure herself. (SCT01, $20.00)
  Mary Queen of Scots
McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland  •  Pete McCarthy
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
A droll account of McCarthy's encounters on a bar-hopping jaunt from Cork along the west coast to Donegal. His motto, assiduously followed, was never to pass up a bar with his name on it! (IRE168, $16.99)
  McCarthy's Bar, A Journey of Discovery in Ireland
Measure for Measure  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  PAPER
The "Oxford World Classics" edition. (GBR351, $7.95)
 
Medieval Art  •  Marilyn Stokstad
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 446 PAGES
Filled with hundreds of illustrations, this comprehensive survey of medieval art throughout Europe describes the social and cultural significance of many of the works of the period. (EUR91, $69.00)
 
MI6, Inside the Covert World of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service  •  Stephen Dorril
HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 928 PAGES
An expose of the foreign division of the UK's intelligence service -- the employer of the mythical James Bond. In this enormous tome, Dorril unearths the controversies surrounding the agency since its founding mission to keep a watch on the Soviet Union in the early 20th century. Includes failed assassination attempts, international debacles and a critique of the extraordinary influence of the powerful agency. (SPY09, $23.95)
 
Michelin Green Guide Scotland  •  Michelin Travel Publications
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
With the same focus on driving tours, detailed maps and the Michelin star system, the venerable Green Guides are even better -- organized regionally, in color and with an overview of history, art and culture. (SCT36, $21.99)
 
A Midsummer Night's Dream  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER
The Folger Shakespeare Library edition. (GBR352, $5.99)
 
Modern Ireland, 1600-1972  •  R.F. Foster
HISTORY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 688 PAGES
Highly regarded historian R.F. Foster balances scholarly research with his own masterful analysis of Ireland's history over the past four centuries. Foster's perceptive narration through Ireland's key events and most complex issues will engage academic and general readers alike. (IRE67, $20.00)
 
Modern Wales, A Concise History  •  Gareth Elwyn Jones
HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 395 PAGES
A scholarly, informative survey of the recent history of Wales. This highly regarded book covers the economical, political and educational factors that have shaped present day Wales. Now in its second edition, with a new chapter and updated reference material. (GBR133, $44.99)
 
A Morbid Taste for Bones  •  Ellis Peters
MYSTERY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 197 PAGES
The first entry in prolific novelist Edith Pargeter's (aka Ellis Peters) popular "Chronicles of Brother Cadfael" series. In this historical mystery, 11th century monk and head of Shrewsbury Abbey Brother Cadfael travels to a small Welsh village to retrieve the relics of St. Winifred. A murder ensues and Cadfael must investigate. Followed by 19 other Cadfael Mysteries. (GBR166, $7.99)
  A Morbid Taste for Bones
The Most Beautiful Villages of Scotland  •  Hugh Palmer
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES
This handsome oversize picture book is an illustrated portrait of Scotland, its landscape, architecture and people. With hundreds of color photographs and lively essays by Hugh Palmer. Part of a popular series, it also contains maps and a travel guide. (SCT81, $40.00)
  The Most Beautiful Villages of Scotland
Murder in the Cathedral  •  T. S. Eliot
LITERATURE •  1964 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES
The murder of Thomas Becket of Canterbury in 1170 is dramatized in this poetic play by T. S. Eliot, first performed at the Canterbury festival in 1935. (GBR251, $9.00)
  Murder in the Cathedral
The Music Lesson  •  Katherine Weber
LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 178 PAGES
Ruminations on 17th-century Dutch art and the politics of the I.R.A may seem like strange bedfellows, but Weber pulls them together beautifully in this novel. Told through fictional diary entries, protagonist Patricia Nolan explains the chain of events that have led her to stash a stolen Vermeer in her remote Irish cottage. (NTH67, $14.00)
 
The Mysteries of Udolpho  •  Ann Radcliffe
LITERATURE •  2008 •  PAPER
A bestseller when it was published in 1794 and an important influence on 18th and 19th century Gothic horror, this challenging and psychological novel about a woman imprisoned by her evil guardian has a dream-like plot. (GBR401, $13.95)
 
Mythologies  •  W.B. Yeats
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
This collection of three classic legends by the great Irish poet includes "The Celtic Twilight", "The Secret Rose" and "Stories of Red Hanrahan." (IRE38, $17.00)
 
Nelson's Navy, The Ships, Men, and Organization, 1793-1815  •  Brian Lavery
HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
An oversize, encyclopedic resource on the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars covering ships, naval administration, life at sea, fighting tactics and more. With 400 illustrations. (GBR385, $47.95)
 
Nelson's Ships, A Comprehensive History of the Ships in Which He Served  •  Peter Goodwin
HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES
A survey of every ship on which Lord Nelson served with 100 photos and illustrations. (GBR384, $39.95)
 
Northanger Abbey  •  Jane Austen
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 219 PAGES
Jane Austen's first novel parodies the Gothic thrillers of her day. Catherine Morland is a country girl spending a season in sophisticated Bath, where she falls for Henry Tilney, who invites her home to his possibly haunted mansion. Austen's wit is as keen as ever in this ruthless depiction of English high society. (GBR313, $8.00)
  Northanger Abbey
Northern England Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
A regional map of northern England at a scale of 1;250,000. It's a densely printed and detailed road map published by the Ordnance Survey with an index of place names. It covers the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District and other popular tourist attractions between Manchester and Newcastle Upon Tyne. One Side. 37x50 inches. (GBR35, $14.95)
  Northern England Map
Northumbria Walks  •  Jarold Staff
GUIDEBOOK •  1993 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES
This compact Pathfinder Guide details 28 walking tours, from 3 to 12 miles, graded and color-coded in order of difficulty. (GBR303, $14.95)
 
Notes from a Small Island  •  Bill Bryson
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES
This is a farewell walking tour of England by an American expatriate who has decided to return home after two decades. It is full of rich conversations, humorous anecdotes and amusing interactions with the natives who often astonish him (and the reader) with their observations and attitudes. A good-natured tour de force through the country's foibles as well as its charms, this is a congenial companion for any trip to the sceptered isle. (GBR16, $14.99)
  Notes from a Small Island
O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare  •  Niall Williams  •  Christine Breen
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1989 •  PAPER  • 233 PAGES
The first of four engaging chronicles of life on a farm in rural County Clare by an Irish-American couple who realized their lifelong dream of returning to Ireland. They settled in Kilmihil on Ireland's west coast, a far cry from New York City. (IRE16, $12.00)
  O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare
O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare  •  Niall Williams  •  Christine Breen
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1989 •  PAPER  • 233 PAGES
The first of four engaging chronicles of life on a farm in rural County Clare by an Irish-American couple who realized their lifelong dream of returning to Ireland. They settled in Kilmihil on Ireland's west coast, a far cry from New York City. (IRE16, $12.00)
  O Come Ye Back to Ireland, Our First Year in County Clare
Off in a Boat, Hebridean Voyage  •  Neil Miller Gunn
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 348 PAGES
A classic tale of a 1930s voyage through the Hebrides by the well regarded Scottish novelist, (who quit his dull job with the civil service, sold his house, bought a useless boat, and tooled around the Inner Hebrides. Gunn captures the romance and exhilaration of a small boat voy age, interweaving his own adventures with Norse and Celtic tales. (GBR66, $18.95)
 
Offshore  •  Penelope Fitzgerald
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 141 PAGES
Penelope Fitzgerald won the 1979 Booker Prize for this slim, delicate novel, which illustrates the lives of a motley assortment of houseboat-dwellers on the Thames River in the 1960's. Fitzgerald, one of the great prose stylists of the 20th century, is gentle, but incisive with her characterizations. As a former houseboat-dweller herself, she knew of what she wrote. (GBR329, $12.95)
 
Oliver Cromwell Historical Association Studies  •  Peter Gaunt
HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
(GBR217, $37.95)
 
Oliver Cromwell Profiles in Power  •  Barry Coward
HISTORY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 204 PAGES
A brief, cogent introduction to Cromwell's political career. (GBR218, $35.80)
 
Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996  •  Seamus Heaney
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES
The definitive collection of poetry by Irish Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney. Chronicling his best work from the last 30 years, this volume is an invaluable piece of modern Irish literature, and a wonderful display of the evolution of an artist's style. Includes poems from The Haw Lantern, Seeing Things, North, Death of a Naturalist and other collections. (IRE65, $19.00)
  Opened Ground, Selected Poems 1966-1996
Oscar Wilde  •  Richard Ellman
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1988 •  PAPER  • 680 PAGES
Considered the definitive biography of Wilde, this Pulitzer Prize-winning book has been much celebrated since its original publication in 1988. Elliman paints a vivid picture both of Wilde's flamboyant life and of his tremendous literary accomplishments. (IRE33, $24.00)
  Oscar Wilde
The Oxford Illustrated History of Britain  •  Kenneth O. Morgan
HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 646 PAGES
A sweeping history of Britain with contributions by ten scholars. It's a popular standard reference much enhanced by drawings, illustrations, charts and tables. (GBR227, $31.95)
 
The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland  •  R.F. Foster
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 346 PAGES
A handsomely illustrated, comprehensive history of Ireland, written by a team of scholars. With 200 illustrations, many in color. (IRE82, $29.95)
 
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings  •  Peter Sawyer
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 298 PAGES
This compact, well-produced book, featuring contributions by 12 experts, is an insightful overview of the Viking Age. With numerous black-and-white illustrations. (VIK18, $27.99)
  The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings
Oxford Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
This detailed, double-sided Ordnance Survey Explorer's map shows parts of the Thames Path, Oxford Canal Walk, Oxfordshire Way and other walks in the countryside at a scale of 1:250,000. Two Sides. 35x40 inches. (GBR243, $23.95)
  Oxford Map
The Oxford Movement in Context, Anglican High Churchmanship, 1760-1857  •  Peter B. Nockles
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
A highly regarded study of the Oxford Movement and Anglicanism, first published in 1994. (GBR215, $55.00)
 
Oxford, A Cultural and Literary Companion  •  David Horan
GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  PAPER  • 246 PAGES
A volume in the erudite series "Cities of the Imagination," this guide to the city and university focuses on the many writers and historic personalities from King Charles to Shelley, Christopher Wren, Oscar Wilde, Dr. Johnson, Alice of the Looking Glass, and C.S. Lewis. (GBR239, $15.00)
  Oxford, A Cultural and Literary Companion
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles, Their Nature and Legacy  •  Ronald Hutton
HISTORY •  1993 •  HARD COVER  • 397 PAGES
A broad survey of Paleolithic rites and religion of ancient Britain and Ireland. The author, a historian, draws on archaeological evidence in re-constructing the world view of Celtic and Romano-British forebears. The book is an excellent companion for travelers with a serious interst in stone circles, cairns, burial sites and other prehistoric monuments of the British Isles. (GBR344, $39.95)
 
Painting in Britain, 1530-1790  •  Ellis Waterhouse
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 394 PAGES
A comprehensive study of painting of the period, both scholarly and readable. (GBR225, $38.00)
 
A Pair of Blue Eyes  •  Thomas Hardy
LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 374 PAGES
One of Hardy's lesser-known novels -- tragic, romantic -- and set squarely in Cornwall. (GBR359, $11.95)
 
Pallas Guide East Anglia: Essex, Suffolk & Norfolk  •  Peter Sager
GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 580 PAGES
A comprehensive, illustrated guide, with a focus on art, architecture, monuments and history. Much more indepth than even a Blue Guide, this book functions as much as a handbook and cultural history as guide. (GBR322, $35.00)
 
Passing the Time in Ballymenone: Culture and History of an Ulster Community  •  Henry Glassie
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 852 PAGES
A lyrical study of the people of Ballymenone in Northern Ireland. With depth and an anthropologist's awareness, Glassie reveals the farming community's folklore, traditions, language and way of life. (IRE84, $41.50)
 
Passport United Kingdom: Your Pocket Guide to British Business, Customs & Etiquette  •  Timothy Harper  •  Barbara Szerlip  •  Tom Watson
GUIDEBOOK •  1996 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES
A guide to British etiquette, manners, and all the other details of local customs that make Great Britain unique. Designed particularly for the business traveler. (GBR230, $6.95)
 
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, $37.95)
  Pax Britannica, The Climax of Empire
The Penguin Book of Contemporary Irish Poetry  •  Peter Fallon
ANTHOLOGY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 462 PAGES
An anthology of modern poetry, including selections from modern masters Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan and John Montague. (IRE49, $17.00)
 
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings  •  John Haywood
HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES • BEST SELLER
A thorough history of the Vikings as told through a series of innovative maps and excellent photographs of Viking artifacts. This book traces the route of the 9th-century Viking merchants and explorers throughout Europe and on to the New World. (VIK02, $20.00)
  Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
Persuasion  •  Jane Austen
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 236 PAGES
Set in Lyme Regis and Bath, this novel is possibly Austen's most mature finished work. Certainly it features her most mature heroine. There's particular pleasure for Bath-goers here, as much of the final action unfolds in streets and buildings that exist in Bath to this day. (GBR208, $5.95)
 
The Pickwick Papers  •  Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 800 PAGES
First published in installments in 1836 and wildly successful in its day, this is the book that launched Dickens' career. It tells of Samuel Pickwick's highly comedic adventures in the wide world, including a riotous sequence among the aristocrats of Bath. (GBR316, $13.00)
 
Pilgrimage in Ireland  •  Peter Harbison
HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
The medieval Irish pilgrimage (and the monuments associated with it) is the subject of this book, a clear examination of the early Christian world in Ireland. (IRE78, $19.95)
 
The Pillars of the Earth  •  Ken Follett
LITERATURE •  2010 •  PAPER  • 976 PAGES
In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife in 12th-century England, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge in this epic novel. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. (GBR226, $22.00)
 
A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, The Life of William Dampier  •  Michael Preston  •  Diana Preston
EXPLORATION •  2005 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
A marvelously well researched, absorbing biography of the 17th century English explorer, sea captain naturalist and buccaneer. Long our favorite pirate, it's a pleasure to see the accomplishments of the swashbuckler laid out so effectively. A master navigator and map-maker, Dampier circumnavigated the globe three times, wrote a series of best-selling books, and reached Australia 80 years before Captain Cook. (GBR436, $15.00)
  A Pirate of Exquisite Mind, The Life of William Dampier
Polly, The True Story Behind Whiskey Galore  •  Roger Hutchinson
HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 155 PAGES
A history of the famous wreck of the S.S. Politician in the outer Hebrides in 1941. The ship was full of whiskey, the locals seized it, and the subsequent wrangling pitted the Hebrideans against the ship's owners. It's the event that is the basis for the novel and film Whisky Galore. (GBR65, $18.00)
  Polly, The True Story Behind Whiskey Galore
The Portable Romantic Poets  •  Norman Holmes Pearson  •  W.H. Auden
LITERATURE •  1972 •  PAPER  • 540 PAGES
As its title implies, this is the anthology to take along on a trip to England's Lake District, Italy's Cinqueterre or any other classic haunt of the romantic poets. This selection, edited by W.H. Auden and Norman Holmes Pearson, includes works by all the masters (and even an occasional mistress). (GBR346, $20.00)
  The Portable Romantic Poets
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  •  James Joyce
LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 247 PAGES
This autobiographical novel, a literary classic, depicts the Irish Catholic boyhood and intellectual awakening its young hero, Stephen Dedalus. It follows Dedalus from his impressionable youth to deep religious conflict at school in Dublin to college where he challenges the conventions of his upbringing and the understanding of faith. (IRE11, $14.00)
  A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Possession, A Romance  •  A.S. Byatt
LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 576 PAGES
Byatt's jam-packed novel is a master class in literary forms. For it, she wrote all of the following and then some: Victorian verse, Breton fairy tales, literary biography, lesbian criticism, love letters and 19th-century diary entries, not to mention the novel itself. We recommend it for readers generally, but most particularly for travelers to the Breton Coast, who will find some wonderfully evocative prose (and those fairy tales!). (FRN355, $16.00)
 
The Pre-Raphaelites  •  Timothy Hilton
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
Often ignored, yet important, this superb book analyzes the Pre-Raphaelites painters and paintings in the context of their Victorian era. With over 150 illustrations, almost every major and many minor painting are discussed. An entry in the "World of Art" series. (GBR181, $19.95)
  The Pre-Raphaelites
The Pre-Raphaelites, Romance and Realism  •  Laurence Des Cars
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES
A slim book in the excellent "Discoveries" series, this pocket-size art history introduces the Pre-Raphaelite artists, their subjects, art and intentions. The book includes 125 illustrations, mini-biographies of the major players and a section of primary-source documents. (ART11, $12.95)
  The Pre-Raphaelites, Romance and Realism
Pride and Prejudice  •  Jane Austen
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES
Austen's favorite of all her novels, this comedy follows the romantic fortunes of the Bennet sisters, who in the absence of any monetary advantages must win their husbands with wit (Elizabeth), sweetness (Jane) or threat of legal action (Lydia). The action unfolds mostly in Hampshire, where Austen was born and raised. (GBR324, $7.95)
 
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie  •  Muriel Spark
LITERATURE •  2009 •  PAPER  • 150 PAGES
A terribly witty novel from the incomparable Dame Muriel. Miss Jean Brodie is an unorthodox teacher at an Edinburgh girls' boarding school who wins the hearts and minds of her students, only to discover that girls from the provinces are ill-prepared for progressive thought. (SCT42, $13.99)
  The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
The Princes in the Tower  •  Alison Weir
HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 287 PAGES
This fascinating historical who-dun-it probes the enduring murder mystery involving the boy king, Edward V, and his brother Richard, Duke of York. Reconstructing the chain of events -- including rivalry, ambition, intrigue and the power struggle that led to Richard III's securing the throne -- it also provides a solution to the puzzle. (GBR75, $16.00)
 
The Princes of Ireland, The Dublin Saga  •  Edward Rutherfurd
LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 800 PAGES
Rutherford draws on the events, personalities and drama of Dublin from settlement through the Easter Rebellion in this epic novel. The Dublin Saga continues with The Rebels of Ireland. (IRE145, $16.95)
  The Princes of Ireland, The Dublin Saga
The Professor and the Madman  •  Simon Winchester
HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES
Subtitled "A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary," this is the bizarre true story behind the birth of the enormous dictionary and two men -- one a scholarly editor, the other a mentally ill, convicted murderer -- who contributed to its creation. In part it's a fascinating and powerful dual biography of very different men who shared a similar love of language. It is also an inside look at the massive 70 year process of assembling the world's most famous dictionary. (GBR178, $14.99)
  The Professor and the Madman
Queen Elizabeth I  •  J.E. Neale
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1992 •  PAPER  • 424 PAGES
This classic biography, which has received both scholarly and popular acclaim, covers every aspect of the life and rule of this strong-minded, independent woman in an age of masculine power. (GBR76, $16.95)
 
The Reader's Companion to Ireland  •  Alan Ryan
ANTHOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES
Divided geographically, this collection of satisfying long stories and excerpts gathers classic and modern travel writing on the Emerald Isle -- a wonderful introduction to Ireland as seen by Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Heinrich Boll, Paul Theroux and other visitors. Each has been selected with great care, and introduced by Alan Ryan. (IRE41, $23.95)
  The Reader's Companion to Ireland
Reading in the Dark  •  Seamus Deane
LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
Combining the intimacy of a memoir and the suspense of a detective story, this novel follows a young Catholic boy growing up in a Northern Ireland of the 1950's, dealing with a family full of secrets and a city full of hatred. (IRE59, $15.00)
  Reading in the Dark
Rebecca  •  Daphne du Maurier
MYSTERY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES
Du Maurier's classic is a sustained, suspenseful psychological novel, memorably set on the Cornish coast. Both this book and Jamaica Inn are must-reads for literarily inclined travelers to Du Maurier country. (GBR363, $14.99)
  Rebecca
Recollections of a Happy Life, Being the Autobiography of Marianne North  •  Marianne North
EXPLORATION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES
An account of the tropical journeys of 19th-century British botanist and painter Marianne North, who traveled widely through the Caribbean, Brazil , South Africa and the Indian Ocean. A contemporary of Charles Darwin (who encouraged her to travel to Australia), North now has paintings on permanent display at Kew gardens. (GBR328, $25.00)
  Recollections of a Happy Life, Being the Autobiography of Marianne North
The Redress of Poetry  •  Seamus Heaney
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER
Based on a series of lectures given at Oxford, Ireland's great poet and Nobel Laureate celebrates such diverse luminaries as Christopher Marlowe, Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas and Elizabeth Bishop. For those that are interested, Heaney has written dozens of books, including a 1998 selection of poetry called Opened Ground. (IRE51, $21.00)
 
Richard II  •  Gurr  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 153 PAGES
A fine paperback edition of the classic play. (GBR177, $18.99)
 
Richard III  •  Paul Werstine  •  Barbara Mowat  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 369 PAGES
A volume in the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, this edition of Richard III features annotations and critical analysis. (TTR07, $4.99)
 
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, $24.99)
 
Rivers of Ireland, An Angler's Guide  •  Peter O'Reilly
GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  PAPER  • 335 PAGES
A comprehensive guide to how, where and when to fish in Ireland. O'Reilly, an officer at Ireland's Central Fisheries Board, knows his territory. Fourth edition. (IRE118, $34.95)
 
Rob Roy  •  Sir Walter Scott
LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 501 PAGES
Adventure in the highlands of 18th-century Scotland starring the dashing outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor. Part of the "Penguin Classics" series, this book contains explanatory notes and an introduction that sets it in its historical context. (SCT20, $11.00)
  Rob Roy
The Romance of Tristan and Iseult  •  Joseph Bedier  •  Hillaire Belloc
LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 205 PAGES
This chivalric myth -- of Arthurian fame -- features a Cornish knight and an Irish princess who are under a spell of love. It's Joseph Bedier's translation (Belloc rendered Bedier's French into English in the early 1900s). (GBR246, $13.00)
  The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
Rough Guide Bristol, Bath & Somerset  •  Rough Guide
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES
A comprehensive regional guide featuring excellent local maps, travel information and suggested routes. (GBR42, $18.99)
  Rough Guide Bristol, Bath & Somerset
Rough Guide Lake District  •  Jules Brown
GUIDEBOOK •  2010 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
This comprehensive practical guide is an excellent choice for the independent traveler in England's Lake District. It includes a good overview of history, culture and nature and authoritative touring advice. (GBR364, $19.99)
  Rough Guide Lake District
Rough Guide Scotland  •  Rough Guide
GUIDEBOOK •  2011 •  PAPER  • 888 PAGES
A comprehensive, authoritative guide focusing on where to go and what to do from Dumphries and Edinburgh to Stornoway, Kirkwall and Lerwick. (SCT60, $23.99)
  Rough Guide Scotland
Rough Guide Wales  •  Mike Parker  •  Paul Whitfield
GUIDEBOOK •  2012 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES
A comprehensive guide to Wales in the British series, nicely balanced between practical travel details and an overview of the history and culture. With suggested walks, sketch maps accommodations and practicalities. (GBR140, $21.99)
  Rough Guide Wales
Round Ireland in Low Gear  •  Eric Newby
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2011 •  PAPER  • 328 PAGES
This time much closer to home and traveling on a bicycle, far-ranging British travel writer Newby applies his usual charm and wit to his neighbors on the Emerald Isle, with suitable commentary on ancient history, hermits, and the lack of dry accommodations. He and Wanda elect to set out in the dead of the winter (so, perhaps, they should have expected less than perfect weather!) (IRE29, $18.95)
  Round Ireland in Low Gear
Round Ireland With a Fridge  •  Tony Hawks
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
Smug English comics beware. Hawks accepts a drunken bet that he could circumnavigate Ireland in one month with a refrigerator, an escapade inspired by his one and only previous visit to the country. Not surprisingly, the English author, musician and comic discovers that the Irish aren't as ridiculous as he had previously thought, but instead are a warm, generous people. He captures the spirit of the country in this deeply silly, entertaining book. The stunt inspired a media circus, including a daily radio broadcast. It was a mini-fridge. (IRE70, $14.95)
  Round Ireland With a Fridge
A Rum Affair, A True Story of Botanical Fraud  •  Karl Sabbagh
SCIENCE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 296 PAGES
One might be put off by a book sold as " A True Story of Botanical Fraud," but nevertheless, this intriguing tale of bogus scientific claims and fierce debates is captivating. The plot centers around whether some mysterious plants, said to be found on the Scottish Isle of Rum, even exist. (SCT57, $15.00)
 
Rum, Nature's Island  •  Magnus Magnusson
GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES
A general overview of the Scottish Isle of Rum, covering history, culture, geography, nature and practical travel information. Focusing primarily on the ecology of the island, it was published in cooperation with Scottish Natural Heritage. (SCT56, $14.95)
 
Samuel Beckett, The Last Modernist  •  Anthony Cronin
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1997 •  PAPER  • 672 PAGES
A biography of the famously difficult Nobel Laureate Beckett, from his membership in Joyce's circle in Dublin and Paris, to his modernist plays and essays, to his death in 1989. Cronin, a Dublin acquaintance of Beckett's, concentrates on the man as an artist, and his impact on 20th-century thought and literature. (IRE36, $21.95)
 
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Major Works  •  H.J. Jackson  •  Samuel Taylor Coleridge
LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 734 PAGES
A collection of the greatest writing of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, including "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Many of his critical pieces, letters and other writings are also included. (GBR198, $18.95)
 
Scotland Map M 501  •  Michelin Travel Publications
2003 •  MAP
A clear, colorful map of Scotland at a scale of 1:400,000, with shaded relief showing topographical features. One Side. 62x40 inches. (SCT12, $8.95)
  Scotland Map M 501
Scotland, The Story of a Nation  •  Magnus Magnusson
HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 752 PAGES
A vivid survey of the history of Scotland, rich in personality and incident, by a master storyteller. (SCT54, $22.50)
  Scotland, The Story of a Nation
Scottish Art  •  Murdo MacDonald
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES
A generously illustrated volume in the "World of Art" Series introducing the individuals and themes that have distinguished Scottish art through the ages. With 183 illustrations, 55 in color. (SCT48, $14.95)
  Scottish Art
The Scottish Nation: A History, 1700-2007  •  T. M. Devine
HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 768 PAGES • COMING IN
A well received history by a respected historian. Devine focuses on Scotland's relationship with England, its status as a colonized country and its sense of autonomy and pride. It's more or less bookended by the Act of Union of 1707 and the first meeting of the new Scottish parliament in 1999. Devine is University Research Professor and Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. (SCT43, $20.00)
  The Scottish Nation: A History, 1700-2007
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)
 
Selected Poetry of William Wordsworth  •  John O. Hayden  •  William Wordsworth
LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 784 PAGES
A collection of William Wordsworth's most celebrated poems. Includes selections from the "Lyrical Ballads," "The Excursion" and "The Prelude." (GBR147, $12.95)
  Selected Poetry of William Wordsworth
Sense and Sensibility  •  Jane Austen
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 409 PAGES
Set mostly in the West Country, this is the famous story of two sisters -- one prudent, discreet, and self-controlled, the other emotional, open and enthusiastic -- and the men they love. Through secrets, betrayals, and confessions, the sisters struggle to temper emotion with good sense. A hugely popular film was recently made of this famous novel. (GBR82, $7.00)
 
Shakespeare  •  David Bevington
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
A biography structured around "The Seven Ages of Man" speech from "As You Like It." Shakespeare Scholar David Bevington examines the enduring popularity of the Bard's writing, while using each life stage as a lens from which to analyze his works. (TTR04, $19.95)
 
Shakespeare  •  F.E. Halliday
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES
A short, expert biography of the Bard -- illustrated, incisive and compact. Halliday outlines the known events of Shakespeare's life, gives an overview of the Elizabethan era and defends poor Will from the slings and arrows of his detractors (who would attribute his plays to Francis Bacon or Ann Hathaway). Originally published in 1949 as Shakespeare and His Critics, the book is a classic (if a bit old fashioned). Park Honan's Shakespeare, A Life is a livelier, more up-to-date biography. (GBR241, $12.95)
 
Shakespeare's English Kings, History, Chronicle and Drama  •  Peter Saccio
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES
A history and guide to the English kings depicted in the plays of Shakespeare, including the Richards, Henrys and Edwards. The text is designed to elucidate the how the details of the monarch's lives influenced the Bard's works. (TTR09, $19.95)
 
Shakespeare's Political Drama, The History Plays and the Roman Plays  •  Alexander Leggatt
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1990 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
Leggatt examines the depiction of state and public power in the English and Roman histories. (TTR08, $41.95)
 
The Shetland Bus, A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival and Adventure  •  David Howarth
HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 236 PAGES
David Howarth, author of "We Die Alone," tells another little-known story of courage and survival during World War II. This time he writes of the "Shetland Bus," a fleet of fishing boats that made regular journeys across treacherous waters from the Shetland Islands to Norway, in order to bring relief and fortifications to Norwegians weathering Nazi attacks. Howarth, who was second in command at the Shetland base, knows the story first-hand, and brings out the ferocity of the storms and battles endured by a few hundred brave men. (NOR26, $16.95)
  The Shetland Bus, A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival and Adventure
A Short History of Irish Literature  •  Seamus Deane
HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER
From its Gaelic origins to its contemporary achievements, this book follows the evolution of Irish literature. An excellent overview to the country's rich literary history. (IRE55, $17.50)
 
Shrewsbury Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
A map of the region of Shropshire that surrounds Shrewsbury, at a great scale of 1:50,000. Published in Great Britain. One Side. 35x44 inches. (GBR172, $19.95)
  Shrewsbury Map
Silver Linings, Travels Around Northern Ireland  •  Martin Fletcher
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
A journalist for the Times of London, Martin Fletcher went to Northern Ireland to cover peace talks and stayed for two years, interviewing locals and getting a feel for the spirit of the region. This is his account of these travels, as well as of the people, politics and traditions of Northern Ireland, infused throughout with the author's good humor and insightful reporting. (IRE146, $16.95)
  Silver Linings, Travels Around Northern Ireland
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  •  Brian Stone
LITERATURE •  1959 •  PAPER  • 185 PAGES
Probably the most famous of the romantic tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, this is the 14th-century poem of chivalry and heroism that inspired many others in its wake. Composed by an unknown contemporary of Chaucer. (GBR247, $11.00)
 
Sirens Sang of Murder  •  Sarah Caudwell
MYSTERY •  1990 •  PAPER  • 277 PAGES
A tantalizing comic mystery set in the Channel Islands. Written by Sarah Caudwell, whose Hilary Tamar mysteries (this is the third in a series of four) have become favorites for their clever plotting and erudite wit. She immerses the reader in the legends and atmosphere of Jersey, Sark and Little Sark in this tale of death, law and taxes, all popular subjects. (GBR196, $7.99)
  Sirens Sang of Murder
The Six Wives of Henry VIII  •  Alison Weir
HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 644 PAGES
This compelling biography is rich in detail about England's most infamous monarch in matters concerning women. Meticulously researched, it brings both the women and their era alive. This is just one of many, many volumes on British royal history by the acclaimed author. (GBR21, $16.95)
  The Six Wives of Henry VIII
South East England Map, including London  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
The map the locals depend on for traveling in the south of England, including London. Cambridge and Oxford. Nicely detailed at a scale 1:250,000. One Side. 37x50 inches. (GBR27, $14.95)
  South East England Map, including London
Southern Scotland & Northumberland Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
A fine locally grown map of southern Scotland, including Oban, Dundee, Stranraer, Carlisle and Edinburgh, at a scale 1:250,000. One Side. 37x50 inches. (SCT34, $14.95)
  Southern Scotland & Northumberland Map
Southwest England & South Wales Map  •  Ordnance Survey
MAP
The map the locals depend on for traveling in the south of England. Nicely detailed at a scale of 1:250,000. One Side. 37x50 inches. (GBR26, $14.95)
  Southwest England & South Wales Map
The Spirit of St. Andrews  •  Alister MacKenzie  •  Robert Tyre Jones
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
Written in 1933, master golf course architecht MacKenzie spins his knowledge of the links into this discussion of the history, equipment and architecture of the game. (GEN80, $19.00)
  The Spirit of St. Andrews
The Steel Bonnets  •  George MacDonald Fraser
HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES
A masterful history of the 16th-century borderland between England and Scotland, capturing all the celebrated mayhem, blood and glory of the time in rich detail. It is the definitive history of the period, deftly written and well researched, by the prolific screenwriter of the "Three Musketeers" and author of the "Flashman" series. (SCT04, $14.95)
  The Steel Bonnets
Stone Voices, The Search for Scotland  •  Neal Ascherson
HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
Ascherson writes with verve and insight on the centuries-old impulse toward nationhood in Scotland, interweaving some highly symbolic moments in history with archaeology, myth and his own interviews and travels. A native Scot (that should come as no surprise), Ascherson offers a lucid, absorbing and affectionate portrait of a nation in the making. (SCT66, $27.00)
  Stone Voices, The Search for Scotland
Stonehenge Complete  •  Christopher Chippindale
ARCHAEOLOGY •  2012 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
An excellent introduction to Europe's most mysterious ancient site. Written by a curator in the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and fully illustrated, this award-winning book includes everything important, interesting or odd ever written, painted, discovered, or felt about Stonehenge since its rediscovery in A.D. 1130. With 266 maps, illustrations and photographs. (GBR13, $24.95)
  Stonehenge Complete
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, $49.95)
  The Story of Britain
The Story of Greenwich  •  Clive Aslet
HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
Greenwich has a rich and tumultuous history and not just as the home of time and longitude zero. This is an illustrated history of the place and its importance, organized chronologically and with a focus on historical landmarks. (GBR145, $22.95)
 
The Story of Lucy Gault  •  William Trevor
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES
A tragedy is born of accident, guilt, religious strife and misunderstanding in another wonderful novel from Trevor -- this one set in 1920s County Cork. If the mark of an affecting novel is that it leaves readers mourning its outcome, then this is a most affecting book. (IRE119, $15.00)
 
The Tain, Translated from the Irish epic Tain Bo Cuailnge  •  Thomas Kinsella  •  Louis Le Brocquy
LITERATURE •  1983 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
An English translation of the heroic tale of Cuchulainn, the 8th-century defender of Ulster. Based on two Medieval texts, this authoritative translation of the Irish epic is also nicely illustrated with 31 black-and-white drawings. The action described includes cattle raids, rival armies, local royalty and superhuman efforts of our hero, the Hound of Ulster. Kinsella is an Irish poet and translator who also edited "The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse." (IRE100, $19.95)
 
Tales of the Seal People, Scottish Folk Tales  •  Chad McCail  •  Duncan Williamson
LITERATURE •  1992 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES
A collection of Scottish folk tales featuring Silkies -- the seal people who can take human shape. (SCT18, $24.95)
 
Talking It Over  •  Julian Barnes
LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
The source material for a recent movie, the characters in this novel grapple with love and deception and Francophilia, many of the author's signature themes. After Gillian throws over safe and secure Stuart for artistic Oliver they retreat from gray England to make their home in the French Countryside. (GBR118, $16.00)
 
The Tempest  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 258 PAGES
Shakespeare's magical play begins with Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, summoning a raging storm that leaves his enemies shipwrecked (reminiscent of a shipwreck on Bermuda during Shakespeare's time). Hard to define within his canon, this play combines Shakespeare's comedic sensibilities with the drama of his greatest tragedies. The character of Caliban, the bestial servant of Prospero, is still mentioned in modern discussions of slavery and colonialism. (BRM07, $7.95)
 
Tess of the D'Urbervilles  •  Thomas Hardy
LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 592 PAGES
This classic heartbreaker traces heroine Tess Durbyfield's attempts to overcome social definitions and double standards in late 19th-century Dorset. (GBR676, $9.00)
  Tess of the D'Urbervilles
The Theatre, A Concise History  •  Phyllis Hartnoll  •  Enoch Brater
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES
A fully illustrated survey of the theater from the days of the ancient Greeks to today, part of the "World of Art" series. Theater historian Phyllis Hartnoll does an admirable job covering such a large subject with clarity and brevity. (GEN213, $21.95)
  The Theatre, A Concise History
Their Finest Hour (The Second World War, Volume 2)  •  Winston S. Churchill
HISTORY •  1986 •  PAPER  • 683 PAGES
An account of the Battle of Britain from Winston Churchill himself, volume two in his six part series on World War II. (WAR29, $20.00)
 
Therapy: A Novel  •  David Lodge
LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 321 PAGES
(GBR64, $16.00)
 
Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel  •  Jerome Jerome  •  Jeremy Lewis
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  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, $12.00)
  Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the Bummel
To the Lighthouse  •  Virginia Woolf
LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 209 PAGES
Childhood, distilled. Woolf drew on memories of family holidays in Cornwall to write this wonderful, clear-sighted novel, in which the Ramsay family goes on holiday in the Hebrides. First published in 1927 -- and full of light and air, comings and goings, fulfillment and unfulfillment -- it's a modernist classic which is also, quite simply, a pleasure. (SCT41, $13.95)
 
Tom Jones  •  Henry Fielding
LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 975 PAGES
This great comic adventure novel, whose hero is thought to be illegitimate, was so shocking in its time that it was held responsible by some for two earthquakes that hit London soon after its publication in the 18th century. Even Dr. Johnson warned against its ribaldry! Tom's adventures in overcoming the obstacles separating him from his beloved take him galloping over the English countryside, providing a perfect landscape painting of his era. (GBR84, $16.50)
 
Towards a Modern Art World  •  Brian Allen
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES
A scholarly look at the often neglected British art world in terms of modern art and how it has evolved over the past two centuries. (GBR174, $55.00)
 
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)
 
A Traveller's History of Ireland  •  Peter Neville
HISTORY •  2009 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
From the Celts to the Norman invasions and modern-day Ireland, this short history is highly recommended for those who would like a brief overview of the Emerald Isle through the centuries. (GBR39, $14.95)
  A Traveller's History of Ireland
A Traveller's History of Oxford  •  Richard Tames
HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES
A compact history of Oxford from settlement to the present, including its importance in medieval England, founding of the different colleges and brief period as Royalist capital. Tames (who was educated at Cambridge) also discusses the architecture of the colleges and includes biographies of illustrious alumni. With suggested walking tours, day trips and chronology. (GBR374, $14.95)
 
A Traveller's History of Scotland  •  Andrew Fisher
HISTORY •  2009 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
This brief history of Scotland through the 1990s is wide-ranging, accessible and necessarily condensed. With a useful chronology, a list of monarchs and a historical gazetteer, this book marches confidently through the centuries. Fisher, a proud Scotsman himself, focuses on the vitality and resilience of the nation. (GBR40, $14.95)
  A Traveller's History of Scotland
Treasures of British Art, Tate Gallery  •  Robert Upstone
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES
A comprehensive collection of British art over the past five centuries that reveals a lot about the British character. (GBR175, $11.95)
  Treasures of British Art, Tate Gallery
Troubles  •  J.G. Farrell
LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 459 PAGES
Terrifically evocative of the British Empire's decline in Ireland--and darkly hilarious, too--this is a plum of a read. You couldn't do better on an idle day than to pick this page-turner up. Farrell, who dissected the Empire in this and two other novels-- The Singapore Grip (Item SGP13) and The Siege of Krishnapur (IDA240) -- never misses a ruling-class absurdity or a violent undercurrent. (IRE171, $16.95)
  Troubles
The Truth about the Irish  •  Terry Eagleton
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 181 PAGES
An irreverent A-to-Z guide to all things Irish by a native son. Eagleton's a shrewd, comic commentator, casting aside many myths, starting with his first entry - A for alcohol (the Irish have the lowest per capita consumption of alcohol in the E.U., after Greece and Italy). (IRE167, $14.95)
  The Truth about the Irish
Turner  •  Graham Reynolds
ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES
Published alongside anecdotes, criticism, and illuminating text, this collection of Joseph Turner's major works of art offers an interesting glimpse into the London artist and his initial reception. (GBR176, $18.95)
 
Twelfth Night, or What You Will  •  Stanley Wells  •  Roger Warren  •  William Shakespeare
LITERATURE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES
In the popular Oxford Shakespeare series. (GBR353, $10.95)
 
Victor Hugo, A Biography  •  Graham Robb
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 682 PAGES
A tremendously well written, exhaustive biography of the eccentric genius Victor Hugo. Known primarily as the author of "Les Miserables" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," he was also a painter, architect and political thinker. Biographer Graham Robb, who also wrote on Balzac, not only captures the essence of Hugo's wild life, he provides an accurate depiction of France and England at the turn of the 20th century. (FRN167, $39.95)
 
Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga  •  William Fitzhugh  •  Elisabeth Ward
HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES
Published in conjunction with a Smithsonian exhibit, this excellent book explores the culture and history of the Vikings, and especially their well documented voyages to North America. Featuring 400 color photographs, the book also includes lively essays on Viking art, religion, daily life and colonies. It's especially good on Viking expansion and settlements in North America. (VIK11, $34.95)
  Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga
The Vintage Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction  •  Dermot Bolger
LITERATURE •  1995 •  PAPER
A wide-ranging and highly readable collection of late 20th century fiction by 50 Irish writers. This is a varied and up-to-the-minute look at modern Irish literature. Contributors include John Banville, Samuel Beckett, Roddy Doyle, Neil Jordan and William Trevor. (IRE61, $16.95)
 
Wales & West Midlands Map  •  Ordnance Survey
2001 •  MAP
A handsome locally grown map of Wales and the West Midlands of England, at a scale of 1:250,000 (which is one inch to four miles). It includes tourist information, place names index, roads, waterways, topography and natural areas. One Side. 37x50 inches. (GBR122, $14.95)
  Wales & West Midlands Map
Wales and Wars of Roses  •  H. T. T. Evans  •  Ralph A. Griffiths
HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 178 PAGES
First published in 1915 as part of a turn-of-the-century effort to recover Welsh history, this classic book is a survey of the Welsh attitude toward the pivotal "War of the Roses" as recorded in Welsh poetry, literature and eyewitness accounts. (GBR129, $19.95)
 
Wales-West Country-Midlands  •  Michelin Travel Publications
MAP
A colorful map of southwestern England and Wales from Oxford to Penzance and north to Liverpool, at a scale of 1:400,000. One Side. 40x54 inches. (GBR194, $12.95)
 
The Way We Live Now  •  Anthony Trollope
LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 1024 PAGES
A great masterpiece of storytelling, and a very sharp portrayal of the social, business, and political life in London in the late 19th century. The plot centers on a charismatic financier (the Donald Trump of his day?), and his -- and everyone else's -- desperate desire for social advancement. Along the way, the reader is treated to a marvelous view of London life. (GBR258, $12.95)
 
A Welsh Childhood  •  Alice Thomas Ellis  •  Patrick Sutherland
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2000 •  PAPER  • 186 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE
An autobiographical set of stories and observations by a Welsh novelist, capturing day-to-day life in the countryside. Complemented by black-and-white photographs, this handsome edition evokes the culture, life and landscapes of Penaenmawr in North Wales. It's a wonderful tale of coming of age in a traditional rural community. (GBR132, $24.95)
  A Welsh Childhood
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew  •  Daniel Pool
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1994 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES
This is an entertaining, instructive guide to daily life in nineteenth century England. With excellent good humor and an eye for telling detail, Pool clarifies the social customs, class distinctions and obsolete vocabulary of the Georgians and Victorians. (GBR320, $16.00)
  What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew
Wild Decembers  •  Edna O'Brien
LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES
A haunting novel of clan enmities and forbidden love in rural Ireland. Few writers have as sure a sense of place as Edna O'Brien, whose lyrical prose builds inevitably toward final tragedy. (IRE94, $13.95)
  Wild Decembers
Wildflowers of Britain and Europe  •  Margaret and Roland Spohn
FIELD GUIDE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES
This indispensable guide to the Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe in Black's Nature Guide series covers 450 species, each beautifully illustrated with detailed paintings and clear photographs. The images not only show you what the plant looks like in its habitat, but also focus in on specific features such as the leaves or flower head, to aid identification. (EUR46, $21.95)
  Wildflowers of Britain and Europe
William the Conqueror, The Norman Impact Upon England  •  David C. Douglas
HISTORY •  1964 •  PAPER
A classic account of the Norman invasion of England and its aftermath. By focusing on William the Conqueror, Douglas illustrates the monumental impact a man and his army had on the course of medieval history. (GBR249, $27.95)
 
William Wallace, Brave Heart  •  James MacKay
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1996 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES
MacKay separates myth from legend in this rich account of one of Scotland's greatest heroes. He delves into medieval Scotland, setting the life of William Wallace in its historical context. (SCT30, $16.99)
  William Wallace, Brave Heart
Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries  •  Ornella D'Alessio  •  Marco Santini
FOOD •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 324 PAGES
Part how-to, part guidebook, part picture book, this charming coffee table treat covers sprawling French vineyards as well as lesser-known hidden treasures in Austria and Hungary. The authors, both Italian journalists and wine connoisseurs, provide helpful tips alongside the hundreds of magnificent color photographs. (EUR191, $35.00)
  Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries
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, $25.00)
 
The Woman in Black  •  Susan Hill
MYSTERY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES
This marvelous story will scare the bejesus out of you. It's got a remote haunted house, naïve visitor, odd locals and all the set pieces of a Victorian thriller, all wrapped in economical, stylish prose. The book, originally published in 1983, has been adapted for the stage and television. It's set outside a small market town on the East coast in a suitable dark house surrounded by salt marshes. (GBR405, $15.95)
 
A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age  •  William Manchester
HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 322 PAGES
In this wide-ranging study, Manchester evokes in vivid detail the great figures and daily life of the 16th century, with information on Henry VIII, Magellan, Borgia, da Vinci and Martin Luther. This is his 18th book and Manchester knows how to tell a great story. It's divided into three sections: Renaissance, Reformation and Discovery. (EUR06, $15.99)
  A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age
A Writer's House in Wales  •  Jan Morris
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES
Historian and travel writer Jan Morris searches a little closer to home in this debut volume in the "Directions" series by National Geographic. Morris's revelations on the history and structure of her 18th-century house in northwest Wales lead her to contemplations of Welsh identity. (GBR325, $20.00)
  A Writer's House in Wales
Wuthering Heights  •  Emily Bronte
LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES
The Yorkshire moors have never been wilder or more conducive to tragedy than in this great romantic novel by Emily Bronte, which concerns an illicit and ill-fated love affair. (GBR307, $7.00)
  Wuthering Heights

 
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