84 Charing Cross Road
• Helene Hanff
LITERATURE •
1990 •
PAPER
• 97 PAGES
A love triangle between a New York writer, the owner of a London bookstore and the books he sells. This tale of bibliophilia and charming amorousness, taking place in the 1950's and 60's, is revealed through the letters of the author and one Frank P. Doel.
(GBR231, $13.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Bard of Avon
• Diane Stanley
• Peter Vennema
HISTORY •
1998 •
PAPER
• 48 PAGES
• YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8)
An illustrated account of William Shakespeare's life and 16th-century England, thoughtfully relating the circumstances of the playwright's environment to the content of his plays. Written for readers ages 6 to 9.
(GBR151, $7.99) |
|
|
Becoming Human, Evolution and Human Uniqueness
• Ian Tattersall
NATURAL HISTORY •
1999 •
PAPER
• 258 PAGES
A cultural history of our tribe, Tattersall offers a wide-ranging, thought-provoking tour of human origins and culture from an anthropologist's point of view. His focus is, in part, on the human ability to represent the world in symbol and art. A curator in the department of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History and popular author, Tattersall is an opinionated, cultured guide to Homo sapiens.
(NAT45, $15.95) |
|
|
The Beggar's Opera
• John Gay
• T.O. Treadwell
LITERATURE •
1987 •
PAPER
• 128 PAGES
Written in 1728, John Gay's ballad opera is a satirical look at 18th-century London. It's the model for Brecht's Threepenny Opera.
(GBR460, $11.00) |
|
|
Beware, Princess Elizabeth
• Carolyn Meyer
LITERATURE •
2002 •
PAPER
• 224 PAGES
• YOUNG ADULTS
An acclaimed young-adult novel, in which Henry VIII is recently dead and young Elizabeth Tudor must endure the tumultuous reigns of her brother Edward and sister Mary -- before ascending the throne herself, 11 years after her father's death. It's a very human portrait of the future queen, set squarely in Tudor England, from an author who has also written a novel about Mary Tudor (GBR333).
(GBR332, $6.99) |
|
|
Blue Guide London
• Ylva French
GUIDEBOOK •
2002 •
PAPER
• 507 PAGES
This popular guide focuses on the art, architecture, museums and galleries of London. With 25 illustrations, 14 maps and plans, and a 30-page color atlas section. 17th edition.
(GBR229, $27.95) |
|
|
British Isles Map, Great Britain and Ireland
• Michelin Travel Publications
2008 •
MAP
This colorful and accurate, regularly updated map shows both Great Britain and Ireland at a scale of 1:1,000,000. Featuring excellent road data. One Side. 40x50 inches.
(GBR07, $11.95) |
|
|
The British Isles, A History of Four Nations
• Hugh Kearney
HISTORY •
2006 •
PAPER
• 324 PAGES
A survey of 2000 years of British history from the Celts to the Romans, the Normans, to the rise (and fall) of the empire. With a welcome focus on the interaction of the Celts, Normans and other cultures that have made their home in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Highly recommended.
(GBR88, $39.99) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages
• Alain Erlande-Brandenburg
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2010 •
PAPER
• 175 PAGES
This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. Take it along to gain a better appreciation of the Middle Ages and its legacy in Europe.
(MED07, $15.95) |
|
|
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: Voyaging, A Biography
• Janet Browne
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •
1996 •
PAPER
• 605 PAGES
This first volume of the acclaimed biography of Darwin covers the first part of his life as he develops the earth-shattering ideas that culminate in the publication of On the Origin of Species.
(GPS29, $27.95) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Coram Boy
• Jamila Gavin
LITERATURE •
2005 •
PAPER
• 336 PAGES
• YOUNG ADULTS
Jamila Gavin offers a textured, nuanced, evocative story of the upper and lower classes in England in 1741, concentrating her focus on two 13-year-old boys and their intertwined ambitions. It's a big, ambitious, old-fashioned book about England at the dawn of the industrial age. The word most frequently used to describe this young-adult novel, which won the Whitbread for best children's book of 2001, is "Dickensian" -- in the very best sense.
(GBR339, $7.95) |
|
|
Cross Channel
• Julian Barnes
LITERATURE •
1997 •
PAPER
• 211 PAGES
Each linked in some way with cross channel experiences, these ten short stories range in time from the late 17th century to the year 2015. The stories display the deliciously comic, complex and intellectual pyrotechnics, for which novelist Barnes is famous.
(GBR56, $15.00) |
|
|
The Diary of Samuel Pepys
• Samuel Pepys
• Richard Le Gallienne
• Robert Louis Stevenson
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •
2001 •
PAPER
• 352 PAGES
The perennially popular diary of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), both an account of his life and portrait of the tumultuous 1660s in London. Pepys covers, among may other things in his nine-year-long diary, the coronation of Charles II, bubonic plague and the Great Fire. This volume is edited and much abridged by essayist and poet Richard Le Gallienne. The original is eight times as long.
(GBR459, $15.95) |
|
|
Directors on Directing, A Source Book to Modern Theater
• Toby Cole
• Helen Krich Chinoy
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
1990 •
PAPER
• 479 PAGES
A guide to the art of directing theatrical productions, composed of a variety of essays from professionals in the industry.
(TTR03, $147.20) |
|
|
The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen
• Howard Carter
• Arthur C. Mace
ARCHAEOLOGY •
1977 •
PAPER
• 231 PAGES
Archaeologist Howard Carter's first-hand story of discovering the tomb of King Tutankhamen. Written just one year after the site was discovered, this account communicates the thrill of the find and the detailed process of excavating a 3,000 year-old treasure. With 105 photos.
(EGY68, $12.95) |
|
|
Down and Out in Paris and London
• George Orwell
LITERATURE •
1972 •
PAPER
• 213 PAGES
Orwell's first published work, this novel -- based, in part, on true experiences -- is a tale of the underclass in 1930's Paris and London.
(GBR99, $14.00) |
|
|
The Dramatic Imagination, Reflections and Speculations on the Art of Theatre
• Robert Edmond Jones
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
1987 •
PAPER
• 157 PAGES
A classic, heartfelt collection of essays on all aspects of the theater, from acting and directing to lighting and design. Jones's experience and wisdom are evident throughout, and the books stands as a source of inspiration and instruction for theater professionals and aficionados.
(TTR02, $29.95) |
|
|
Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor
• Kathryn Lasky
LITERATURE •
1999 •
HARD COVER
• 240 PAGES
• MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12)
• COMING IN
One in the clever "Royal Diaries" series by Scholastic, which pairs young-adult authors with famous princesses. Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Tudor's diary, as written by Kathryn Lasky, is full of longing, intrigue and sibling rivalry -- a gripping introduction to the "Virgin Queen." The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding.
(GBR331, $10.95) |
|
|
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 Empty Space
• Peter Brook
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
1997 •
PAPER
• 141 PAGES
A highly influential -- and highly readable -- treatise on the state of modern theater, first published in 1968 but still appropriate today. Legendary English director Peter Brook divides dramatic productions into four categories -- the Deadly Theater, the Holy Theater, the Rough Theater, and the Immediate Theater -- so that he may address the importance and potential of the theatrical form.
(TTR01, $12.99) |
|
|
Extinct Humans
• Ian Tattersall
• Jeffrey Schwartz
ARCHAEOLOGY •
2001 •
PAPER
• 224 PAGES
An illustrated overview of the origin of our species, rewarding for both the scholar and interested general reader. Tattersall and Schwartz, as knowledgeable as anyone with the six-million-year hominid fossil record, explore the history of our species in this masterly synthesis of archaeological discovery. It features good color photographs of key evidence.
(NAT46, $30.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Faberge in the Royal Collection
• Caroline De Guitaut
ART & ARCHITECTURE •
2003 •
HARD COVER
• 240 PAGES
A handsome study of Faberge art and the British Royal Family. Includes essays on the history of the collection, royal collectors, and Faberge's enduring influence. With 220 illustrations, 200 in color.
(RUS215, $50.00) |
|
|
A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe
• Guy Mountfort
FIELD GUIDE •
2001 •
PAPER
• 212 PAGES
Every birder has their favorite field guide, but you can't go wrong with this classic in the Peterson series: compact, illustrated and convenient, covering 698 species. With range maps.
(EUR15, $25.00) |
|
|
Fodor's London's 25 Best
• Fodor's
GUIDEBOOK •
2012 •
PAPER
• 176 PAGES
This slim guide to London includes a separate map of the city's center and a 96-page pocket book with essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing.
(GBR08, $12.99) |
|
|
The Fossil Trail, How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution
• Ian Tattersall
SCIENCE •
2009 •
PAPER
• 352 PAGES
A balanced, thought-provoking survey of the physical evidence for human evolution by the American Museum of Natural History anthropologist.
(ATP08, $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) |
|
|
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 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) |
|
|
The Heat of the Day
• Elizabeth Bowen
LITERATURE •
2002 •
PAPER
• 368 PAGES
The suspenseful tale of life in London during the bombing raids of World War II. Bowen, like her character in the novel, remained in London during the raids (refusing the relative security of Ireland). Originally published in 1949.
(GBR378, $16.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
The History of Gardens
• Christopher Thacker
NATURAL HISTORY •
1985 •
PAPER
A standard world history of gardens, well illustrated and wide-ranging, covering everything from Zen gardens in Japan to English country gardens.
(GRD09, $45.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Insight Guide London
• Insight Guides
GUIDEBOOK •
2010 •
PAPER
• 352 PAGES
A well illustrated overview of the city, its history and attractions, featuring a series of essays by experts, hundreds of photographs and excellent local maps.
(GBR367, $19.99) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
King of Shadows
• Susan Cooper
LITERATURE •
1999 •
PAPER
• 186 PAGES
• MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12)
A young actor joins a troupe to travel to London's Globe theatre and finds himself transported back in time to a production directed by none other than Mr. William Shakespeare. Intended for children ages 10-12.
(GBR161, $5.99) |
|
|
Kingdom by the Sea
• Paul Theroux
TRAVEL NARRATIVE •
2006 •
PAPER
• 361 PAGES
Before decamping after a decade in London, Theroux traveled around the British Isles on a coastal journey in 1982 -- and chatted up the natives in his inimitable, humorous, opinionated, perceptive way. This insightful book displays Theroux's occasional ill temper along with his celebrated ability to combine social history and the good old-fashioned traveler's tale.
(GBR09, $14.95) |
|
|
Letters from London
• Julian Barnes
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •
1995 •
PAPER
• 320 PAGES
This sparkling collection of essays by the brilliant novelist Julian Barnes hones in on the social complexity and political reality of modern day England. Originally published in the "New Yorker," these always-on-target essays range from Thatcherite Britain to the foibles of the royals. A dedicated francophile, he also meditates at length on the historic cross-channel animosity.
(GBR14, $16.95) |
|
|
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit
• Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •
2000 •
PAPER
• 864 PAGES
This satirical novel, his sixth, is one of Dicken's few that leaves Mother England for a extended (and caustic) foray onto American shores. Not surprisingly, it followed the author's first voyage to America.
(GBR462, $14.00) |
|
|
Life in A Medieval Castle
• Francis Gies
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •
1989 •
PAPER
• 272 PAGES
This illustrated book evokes life in the 13th century. From lord to servant, it describes the daily life of the inhabitants at Chepstow in Wales.
(GBR109, $14.99) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
London Map (Editions Falk)
• Falk Maps
MAP
A single-sided folded map of London at a scale of 1:15,000 (published by Falk but not featuring the patent Falk fold!). Two Sides. 26x39 inches.
(GBR347, $12.95) |
|
|
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, 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 London
• Steve Fallon
GUIDEBOOK •
2009 •
PAPER
• 420 PAGES
A comprehensive, practical guide.
(GBR253, $19.99) |
|
|
Madeline in London
• Ludwig Bemelmans
LITERATURE •
2000 •
PAPER
• 64 PAGES
• YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8)
Miss Clavel, Madeline and her 11 classmates travel to London to cheer up their former neighbor, Pepito, who had to move away from Paris. With the help of an adopted horse, the group embarks on a mad, rhyming tale of adventure through the city's busy streets. Written for kids ages 4-8.
(GBR152, $7.99) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Mary, Bloody Mary
• Carolyn Meyer
LITERATURE •
2001 •
PAPER
• 240 PAGES
• YOUNG ADULTS
An unusually generous portrayal of the young Mary Tudor, nicknamed "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant subjects. Popular young-adult author Meyer richly recreates the Tudor era and its religious conflicts for audiences ages 11 and up.
(GBR333, $6.99) |
|
|
The Mother Tongue, English and How it Got That Way
• Bill Bryson
CULTURAL PORTRAIT •
1996 •
PAPER
• 270 PAGES
An indispensable guide to the language that divides us, this book is a humorous and informative history of the English language that showcases Bryson's wry wit. He traces the development of the English language and its oddities from the Neolithic to present. Excellent.
(GBR15, $14.99) |
|
|
Murder Unprompted
• Simon Brett
MYSTERY •
2000 •
PAPER
• 164 PAGES
Getting a leading role on London's West End can be murder, at least that's the notion raised in this back-stage mystery featuring actor/amateur detective Charles Paris.
(GBR406, $11.95) |
|
|
National Geographic London
• Louise Nicholson
GUIDEBOOK •
2011 •
PAPER
• 272 PAGES
An overview of the city -- its history, neighborhoods and attractions -- by an acclaimed guidebook author. With hundreds of color photographs, it's a handsome companion volume for travels in London.
(GBR330, $22.95) |
|
|
Nature's Museums, Victorian Science and the Architecture of Display
• Carla Yanni
HISTORY •
2000 •
PAPER
• 224 PAGES
A scholarly history of the construction of buildings for the display of natural history, focusing on Victorian-era museums in Oxford, Edinburgh and London. With 103 black-and-white illustrations, including site plans.
(GBR376, $58.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Oliver Twist
• Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •
2002 •
PAPER
• 362 PAGES
A Dickens' favorite, featuring his most popular orphan hero.
(GBR461, $3.50) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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 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) |
|
|
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
• E.L. Konigsburg
LITERATURE •
2001 •
PAPER
• 208 PAGES
• YOUNG ADULTS
A marvelous fictionalized portrait of Eleanor of Aquitaine who was queen of France and England successively, traveler to Constantinople, wife of a future saint, mother of Richard the Lionheart and for 15 years a prisoner of the English Crown. E.L. Konigsburg's irreverent, feminist, educational young-adult novel begins on a cloud in heaven, where Eleanor is awaiting the induction into heaven of her husband Henry II of England, who has spent the last 800 years in -- well -- not in heaven, at any rate. The rest of the book is a flashback.
(GBR245, $5.99) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Sailing Alone Around the World
• Joshua Slocum
EXPLORATION •
2008 •
PAPER
• 272 PAGES
• FAVORITE
Sailing Alone around the World recounts Slocum's wonderful adventures: hair-raising encounters with pirates off Gibraltar and savage Indians in Tierra del Fuego; raging tempests and treacherous coral reefs; flying fish for breakfast in the Pacific; and a hilarious visit with fellow explorer Henry Stanley in South Africa.
(EXP03, $14.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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'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 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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads, The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums
• Stephen T. Asma
HISTORY •
2003 •
PAPER
• 302 PAGES
An entertaining cultural history of the natural science museum and its transformation from cabinet of curiosities to center of research. The author, who interviewed curators and designers in Paris, London, New York and Chicago, pays particular attention to the question of evolution. With 73 photographs and illustrations.
(SCI58, $39.99) |
|
|
A Tale of Two Cities
• Charles Dickens
LITERATURE •
2003 •
PAPER
• 371 PAGES
Dickens' famous tale of love and intrigue, set against the backdrop of the French Revolution in Paris and London.
(GBR100, $8.00) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
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 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) |
|
|
Under the Black Flag, The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates
• David Cordingly
HISTORY •
2006 •
PAPER
• 296 PAGES
A vivid history of the golden age of piracy, this wide-ranging book looks at the myth and reality of the pirate experience. You'll meet the famous pirates such as Blackbeard, as well as the lesser-known that frequently plied the waters of the Caribbean.
(CRB35, $16.00) |
|
|
Walking in the Cotswolds, Discover Idyllic Stone Villages, Tranquil Valleys and Rolling Countryside
• Automobile Association
GUIDEBOOK •
2007 •
HARD COVER
Explore the best parts of Britain's countryside with this guide from the popular series designed for both casual and experienced walkers, including easy to follow maps and directions, helpful tips and color photos throughout.
(GBR710, $29.95) |
|
|
White Teeth, A Novel
• Zadie Smith
LITERATURE •
2001 •
PAPER
• 464 PAGES
A rollicking, remarkably assured first novel of three families in 1990s London, deftly balancing multiple story lines with wit and skill. Smith has a keen sense of the English experience (working and intellectual class) as well as that of the modern immigrant to London (including Jamaicans and Bangladeshi).
(GBR463, $15.95) |
|
|
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) |
|
|
