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THE BEST OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND & IRELAND
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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)
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)
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)
Accomplished Art, Gold and Gold-Working in Britain and Ireland during the Bronze Age • George Eogan ART & ARCHITECTURE • HARD COVER • 220 PAGES A survey of gold-making in the Bronze Age from the earliest insular gold objects to gold-working in an age of industrial expansion, transformations of the 13th-12th centuries BC, and the Late Bronze Age. With 44 figures, 29 illustrations and 19 color plates. (IRE152, $50.00)
Adam of the Road • Elizabeth Janet Gray • Robert Lawson LITERATURE • 1987 • PAPER • 320 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A marvelous, classic children's book -- winner of a Newbery Medal in its day -- in which a minstrel's son loses his way on the highways and byways of 13th-century England. Jammed (but so subtly!) with period detail, this engrossing novel is an enduring introduction to merrie olde England for readers ages 8 to 12. (GBR336, $7.99)
After You With The Pistol • Kyril Bonfiglioli MYSTERY • 2005 • PAPER The second installment in the British Charlie Mortdecai series. Mortdecai, a whiskey-swilling man-about-town, investigates the mystery of his new wife Johanna, who has a strange obsession with assassinating the Queen. (GBR590, $13.95)
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 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)
The Age of Bede • J.F. Webb • D.H. Farmer HISTORY • 1998 • PAPER • 288 PAGES This selection of writings from the sixth and seventh century provides insight into the early history of the Christian Church in England and Ireland. (GBR552, $14.00)
The Age of Revolution, 1789-1848 • Eric J. Hobsbawm HISTORY • 1996 • PAPER • 356 PAGES Renowned historian (and Marxist) Eric J. Hobsbawm begins his four volume history of the modern world with this trenchant account of the transformation of society wrought by the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution in Britian. (GBR418, $16.95)
The Agricola and the Germania • Tacitus • Harold Mattingly • S.A. Handford HISTORY • 2010 • PAPER • 121 PAGES Two texts of classical antiquity by Tacitus. Agricola is a eulogy for his father-in-law, the governor of Roman Britain. Germania is one of the earliest and most extensive account of the early Germanic World and the Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, Angles, Saxons, Celts, Vikings and other ancient peoples of the region. (EUR182, $15.00)
Albion, The Origins of the British Imagination • Peter Ackroyd HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 560 PAGES In this extended essay novelist and historian Peter Ackroyd meditates on English identity and its meaning for English writers, painters and composers. (GBR543, $19.95)
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 Things Bright and Beautiful • James Herriot BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1998 • PAPER • 438 PAGES Yorkshire veterinarian Herriot describes the adventures and experiences of his career as he tends to sick cattle, pregnant ewes, ailing dogs and their eccentric owners, in a celebration of the relationships between humans and animals. (GBR554, $8.99)
All Things Wise and Wonderful • James Herriot BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1998 • PAPER • 440 PAGES Another memoir from beloved veternarian and author James Herriot, this time recounting his experiences during World War II as he trains for the Royal Air Force and returns home to Yorkshire whenever possible to see his pregnant wife, Helen. (GBR553, $7.99)
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)
The Anatomy of Melancholy • Robert Burton CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2001 • PAPER • 1392 PAGES The 17th-century examination of melancholy, presented in original Latin with accompanying English translation. (GBR447, $27.95)
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)
Anglo-Saxon England • Frank M. Stenton HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 811 PAGES A standard history, first published in 1943. (GBR542, $35.00)
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)
The Aran Islands • J.M. Synge • Tim Robinson CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1992 • PAPER • 208 PAGES A much-loved turn-of-the-century account of the islands, drenched in the Celtic soul of Ireland. Synge ("The Playboy of the Modern World"), who went there to write, contrasts the rich communal life of the islands with the culture on mainland Ireland. (IRE26, $15.00)
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)
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)
As You Like It • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER The "Oxford World Classics" edition. (GBR348, $10.95)
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)
Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare, A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Works of Shakespeare • Isaac Asimov LITERATURE • 2003 • HARD COVER • 1536 PAGES A useful companion to the Bard's plays. Asimov provides synopses and commentary for 38 works, paying particular attention to the mythological and historical background of the plays. Originally published in 1970 as two volumes. (GBR434, $24.99)
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)
At Swim-Two-Birds • Flann O'Brien LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 336 PAGES Flan O'Brien's beloved, comic and utterly eccentric riff, set (we think) in Dublin, where a college student is writing a novel about Irish myth and mythology. No summary does justice to this cornerstone (if cracked) of modern Irish literature. Originally published in 1951, James Joyce called it a funny book. (IRE165, $13.95)
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)
The Authentic Shakespeare: And other Problems of the Early Modern Stage • Stephen Orgel HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER • 276 PAGES A collection of fifteen essays on the Renaissance stage. (GBR616, $33.95)
Barchester Towers • Anthony Trollope LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 576 PAGES Trollope's 1857 sequel to The Warden. (GBR440, $12.00)
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)
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)
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)
Bess of Hardwick, Emprie Builder • Mary S. Lovell HISTORY • 2007 • PAPER • 576 PAGES Chronicles the life of a sixteenth-century impoverished nobleman's daughter who rose to become one of England's most wealthy and powerful women. (GBR679, $18.95)
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)
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)
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)
A Bit on the Side, Stories • William Trevor LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 256 PAGES Twelve stories by the author of The Hill Bachelors. (IRE179, $15.00)
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)
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 Museums and Galleries of London • Malcolm Rogers GUIDEBOOK • 2005 • PAPER • 493 PAGES The museums, galleries and historic houses of London get the authoritative Blue Guide treatment in this volume, which includes floor plans, maps and practical travel information. (GBR524, $27.95)
Blue Guide Oxford & Cambridge • Geoffrey Tyack GUIDEBOOK • 2004 • PAPER • 288 PAGES This guide in the British series covers in detail the art, history and architecture of Oxford and Cambridge. With maps, site plans and line drawings. The author Geoffrey Tyack is a professor of British and European architectural history at Oxford. (GBR470, $21.95)
Blue Guide Prague • Jasper Tilbury GUIDEBOOK • 2004 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A detailed guide to the jewel of Eastern Europe complete with practical information, maps and cultural and historical background of Prague and Central Bohemia. With a color map, site plans and line drawings. (CZH56, $21.95)
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)
A Bone of Contention • Susanna Gregory LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 288 PAGES In the second chronicle in Susanna Gregory's series featuring medieval detective Matthew Bartholomew, town and gown tensions in 14th century Cambridge have boiled over. When one of his students is murdered and a young girl disappears, Bartholomew and his friend Brother Michael enter the violent fray. (GBR628, $10.95)
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)
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)
Booking Passage, We Irish & Americans • Thomas Lynch BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2005 • PAPER • 296 PAGES In this poignant, often humorous memoir, American Book Award-winner and undertaker Lynch recalls his visits to County Clare, the home of his ancestors, where he encounters rural life in all its glory. Through his visits to Ireland, Lynch must face not only his ancestral past, but also the ways in which his genealogy has shaped the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of his present situation. (IRE188, $14.95)
Borstal Boy • Brendan Behan BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • PAPER • 386 PAGES At the age of sixteen, Brendan Behan was arrested in Liverpool with a suitcase full of explosives on a mission for the IRA. This autobiographical work by the playwright describes his three subsequent years in an English reformatory. As he slowly lost his naivete, his radical stance softened and he warmed to his fellow prisoners. Originally published in 1958. (IRE183, $16.95)
Bradt Guide Eccentric Britain • Benedict le Vay GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 384 PAGES From Longleat's Marquess of Bath and his 'set' of 62 'wifelets' to Biddeford's four acre Gnome Reserve, home to over a thousand of the little red-capped critters, and Chipping Campden's World Shin-kicking Championships, le Vay's book is an engaging and amusing read as well as being a practical travel guide. Lost for ideas? A calendar to the Eccentric Year is at hand - it's May so it must be the Randwick Wap religious cheese rolling festival. If you can wait a while August sees Tatton Park host the English Open Chainsaw Competition. Elsewhere, the guide details the Falkirk Wheel's triumph of eccentric engineering, which raises up to six boats at a time 155 feet from a canal to an aqueduct. However, if all this weirdness leaves you feeling a little jaded a trip to Salcombe, Devon and an encounter with Overbeck's Rejuvenator, just one of the items on display at the Electric Shock Museum, may ginger things up a bit... (GBR586, $24.99)
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)
Britain Since 1945, The People's Peace • Kenneth O. Morgan HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 648 PAGES A modern history by the prolific author. (GBR551, $35.00)
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)
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)
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)
Cadogan Guide England • Guy McDonald GUIDEBOOK • 2004 • PAPER • 922 PAGES • COMING IN This big, comprehensive guide to England by Guy McDonald in the British series features a good overview of history and culture, along with detailed descriptions of top attractions, and extensive listings of where to stay, eat and drink -- all hand-picked by the author. With 35 maps and town plans. (GBR477, $22.95)
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)
Cathedral, The Story of its Construction • David Macaulay ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1973 • HARD COVER • 77 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) In this illuminating book for middle readers, master draughtsman MacAulay presents text and innovative drawings that detail the planning and construction of a 13th-century Gothic cathedral. It's a masterpiece. (EUR24, $18.00)
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)
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 Prayers from Iona • J. Philip Newell RELIGION • 1997 • HARD COVER • 96 PAGES Inspired by the Gaelic prayers and poems of the 19th-century Scotsman Alexander Carmichael, Philip Newell and his wife developed this handsome hard cover book while wardens on the island. (SCT21, $14.95)
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: A Very Short Introduction • Barry W Cunliffe HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 161 PAGES A concise, revealing social history of the Celts, by a reigning authority and popular writer. (CLT03, $11.95)
Central Cambridge: A Guide to the University and Colleges • Kevin Taylor GUIDEBOOK • 1994 • PAPER • 98 PAGES An introduction to Cambridge University, its history and architecture, with helpful maps and illustrations, perfect for the visitor or prospective student. Published by (naturally) Cambridge University Press. (GBR468, $15.99)
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)
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 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)
Charming Small Hotel Guides Britain & Ireland • Tamara Grosvenor GUIDEBOOK • 2005 • PAPER • 383 PAGES A full page with a color photograph is dedicated to each entry in this guide focused on hotels with 20 bedrooms or less. (GBR674, $19.95)
A Child's Christmas in Wales • Dylan Thomas LITERATURE • 2007 • PAPER • 64 PAGES Ellen Raskin proves the elegant wood cuts for this little edition of Thomas's mellifluous tale, evoking the warmth, jollity and excitement of a Welsh seaside village in the 1930s. Mr and Mrs. Prothero, their cats, Eskimo-footed Arctic marksmen in the garden, a fire brigade with the gong bombilating, it was quite an afternoon the day of Christmas Eve. (GBR428, $9.95)
A Child's Christmas in Wales and Five Poems • Dylan Thomas LITERATURE • 2003 • AUDIO CD • FAMILY Dylan Thomas recalls in rich tones the sounds and smells of a long-ago Christmas in the Welsh seaside town of his youth in this digitally re-mastered 1952 recording. This audio CD also includes his renditions of Fern Hill, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, In the White Giant's Thigh, Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait and Ceremony After a Fire Raid. (GBR427, $14.99)
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)
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)
Churchill, The Unexpected Hero • Paul Addison BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • HARD COVER • 308 PAGES A biography of Churchill focusing on his personal traits and reputation. (GBR579, $31.50)
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)
Civil Wars, A Military History of England, Scotland and Ireland, 1638-1660 • John P. Kenyon • Jane H. Ohlmeyer • J.S. Morrill HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER • 416 PAGES A nicely illustrated military history of the British and Irish Civil Wars by a team of noted specialists. (GBR549, $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)
Classic Irish Short Stories • Frank O'Connor LITERATURE • 1990 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A fine selection of stories from the first half of the 20th century, featuring the likes of James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen and Frank O'Connor (who also edited the volume). (IRE140, $18.95)
Coast, A Celebration of Britain's Coastal Heritage • Christopher Somerville NATURAL HISTORY • 2005 • PAPER • 192 PAGES A photographic tour of the outer limits of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (GBR610, $34.95)
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)
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)
Collected Stories • Frank O'Connor LITERATURE • 2009 • HARD COVER • 712 PAGES Selected and arranged thematically by Julian Barnes, this Everyman's edition starts off with O'Connor's most famous short story, Guests of the Nation, set during the Irish War of Independence. O'Connor's wonderfully polyphonic tales of family, friendship, and rivalry are set beside those that bring to life forgotten souls on the fringes of society. (IRE180, $26.95)
The Collected Stories • John McGahern LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 408 PAGES A collection of short stories by McGahern, one of Ireland's finest writers of fiction. Set mostly in Dublin and rural Ireland, these 34 stories capture the themes of loneliness and melancholy that McGahern handled with such deft lyricism. McGahern passed away in March. (IRE181, $18.95)
The Collects of Thomas Cramner • Frederick C. Barbee • Paul F. Zahl RELIGION • 1998 • HARD COVER • 139 PAGES First appearing as The Book of Common Prayer, in 1549, this volume compiles the short Anglican prayers composed by Thomas Cramner. (GBR448, $17.00)
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)
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)
The Comedy of Errors • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 272 PAGES Part of the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, Shakespeare's full text with a scene by scene prose summary and critical analysis. (GBR431, $4.99)
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 Wales • David Barnes GUIDEBOOK • 2005 • PAPER • 368 PAGES This guide in the excellent British series introduces the history, landscapes, culture and attractions of Wales for the traveler. It's an old-fashioned and lengthy companion, a pleasure to read (and maddening to browse). With illustrations and maps. (GBR568, $34.95)
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 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)
The Complete Pelican Shakespeare • Stephen Orgel • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2002 • HARD COVER • 1808 PAGES A classic one-volume collection of all of Shakespeare's plays and poems. (GBR618, $67.00)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Coriolanus • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER The generously annotated Cambridge edition edited by Lee Bliss. (GBR402, $13.95)
Cotswold Cycling Map • 2001 • MAP This double-sided laminated map of the Cotswolds at a scale of 1:126,000 features suggested cycling routes. Two Sides. 28x38 inches. (GBR491, $10.95)
The Cotswold Way • Kev Reynolds GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 216 PAGES A practical guide in the British series. (GBR588, $19.95)
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)
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 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)
Crisis of Parliaments: English History, 1509-1660 • Conrad Russell HISTORY • 1971 • PAPER • 464 PAGES An in-depth, scholarly account of parliamentary politics during a crucial period. A volume in the Short Oxford History of the Modern World. (GBR550, $44.95)
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 Crown Jewels, The British Secrets at the Heart of the KGB's Archives • Nigel West • Oleg Tsarev HISTORY • 1999 • HARD COVER • 384 PAGES A lively account of Soviet intelligence activity in Britain from the end of World War I to the late 1950s. West is a prolific British military historian specializing in espionage. (SPY21, $55.00)
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)
Darwin, His Daughter and Human Evolution • Randal Keynes BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 448 PAGES A portrait of Darwin as a family man by a great-great grandson. Keynes was inspired by his association with a Darwin artifact: the writing desk of his daughter Annie, who died at age 10. (GBR516, $15.00)
Daughter of Time • Josephine Tey MYSTERY • 1995 • PAPER • 208 PAGES An engrossing mystery that finds a modern detective digging into England's past to see if Richard III was truly the villain history, and Shakespeare, made him out to be. (GBR558, $14.00)
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)
Dead Cert • Dick Francis MYSTERY • 2004 • PAPER • 288 PAGES A former jockey, Dick Francis writes mysteries set in the world he knows best, the cut-throat competition of horse racing in England. This is his first, featuring the tireless jockey and sleuth Alan York. (GBR408, $7.99)
The Dead of Jericho • Colin Dexter LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 304 PAGES In this Inspector Morse mystery set in Jericho (outside of Oxford), a suicide may be more than it seems. (GBR452, $6.99)
Death and Nightingales • Eugene McCabe LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 232 PAGES McCabe's powerful novel follows a day in the life of Elizabeth Winters in County Fermanagh on the border of Ulster in 1883. Born in Glasgow in 1930, McCabe has lived and farmed on the Monaghan-Fermanagh border near Clones for 40 years. (IRE174, $13.95)
Death in Dublin, A Novel of Suspense • Bartholomew Gill MYSTERY • 2003 • PAPER • 352 PAGES This gripping mystery, the last of the Peter McGarr series, revolves around the theft of the revered Book of Kells.Darkly atmospheric and impossible to put down! (IRE159, $6.99)
The Death of a Joyce Scholar • Bartholomew Gill MYSTERY • 1990 • PAPER • 336 PAGES In this eighth outing of Chief Inspector Peter McGarr, Trinity College professor Kevin Coyle is found fatally stabbed after an annual Bloomsday tour -- the perfect excuse for author Bartholomew Gill to display his wit, humor, mind-mending plots and wonderful characters. Originally published in 1989. Barthomew Gill was the penname of author and columnist Mark McGarrity. (IRE150, $6.99)
The Death of Comedy • Erich Segal LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 608 PAGES A scholarly discussion of the rise and fall of staged comedies, starting with Palutus and ending with Beckett. (TTR10, $45.00)
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)
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, A Cultural History • Siobhan Kilfeather GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 300 PAGES A literary guide to Ireland's capital, organized by definitive events and personalities, from Dublin's beginnings as a 10th-century Norse trading center to the establishment of Trinity College, the Playboy Riots and the election of Mary Robinson. (IRE172, $24.99)
Dublin, The Best Places to Eat, Drink, And Stay • Georgina Campbell GUIDEBOOK • 2005 • PAPER • 400 PAGES Campbell is the author of a whole series of guidebooks on where to eat, drink, and stay all around Ireland. Organized by city district, this compact and comprehensive guide includes maps and plenty of information on food, shopping and accommodations. (IRE163, $10.95)
The Eagle of the Ninth • Rosemary Sutcliff LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 291 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Hoping to recover the standard of his father's lost legion and prove himself worthy of commanding troops, Marcus ventures into Caledonia in year 125. (GBR556, $7.95)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Empires of the Atlantic World, Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830 • J. H. Elliott HISTORY • 2006 • HARD COVER • 656 PAGES A masterful synthesis of English and Spanish colonies in the New World. (ATL24, $55.00)
The Encyclopedia of Ireland • Brian Lalor CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2003 • HARD COVER • 1200 PAGES Organized alphabetically, this compendium of all things Irish covers life, culture, and history. A reference that is pleasurable to browse, it features full-color illustrations, maps, and an impressive range of entries, including biographies of artists, celebrities, writers, and politicians of Irish descent. (IRE137, $65.00)
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)
England As You Like It, An Independent Traveler's Companion • Susan Allen Toth GUIDEBOOK • 1996 • PAPER A charming, digressive guide to navigating England and Scotland on your own. More a theory of travel than a practical guidebook, Toth offers general advice on being your own travel agent, preparing for your trip and keeping a travel journal amongst her own memories of travelling -- also documented in her memoir "My Love Affair with England (GBR03). Toth highlights her favorite haunts of both countries including London, the Cornish Coast and Nairn. (GBR395, $12.95)
England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings, 1075-1225 • Robert Bartlett HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER • 808 PAGES A lively and far-reaching account of the politics, religion, and culture of England in the century and a half after the Norman Conquest. Robert Bartlett is Wardlaw Professor of Medieval History at the University of St Andrews. (GBR627, $55.00)
England Under the Tudors • G.R. Elton HISTORY • 1991 • PAPER • 522 PAGES A well-regarded history of the period by a scholar of Tudor administrative history. (GBR546, $34.95)
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)
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 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 Journey or the Road to Milton Keynes • Beryl Bainbridge TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1997 • PAPER • 158 PAGES A tribute to J.B. Preistly's classic journey. (GRB53, $)
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)
The Enigma of Arrival, A Novel • V.S. Naipaul LITERATURE • 1988 • PAPER This autobiographical novel conjures Naipaul's dual homes on Trinidad and England, as well as his feelings of cultural detachment and alienation in a haunting series of ruminations. (GBR456, $15.95)
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)
Everything Irish: The History, Literature, Art, Music, People, and Places of Ireland from A-Z • James O�Malley • Lelia Ruckenstein CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2003 • PAPER • 480 PAGES A lively encyclopedic overview of Irish culture and history. (IRE154, $20.00)
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker • Tobias Smollett LITERATURE • 1967 • PAPER • 416 PAGES A comic romp through the English and Scottish countryside, first published in 1771. The novel includes memorable sections set in Bath. (GBR437, $13.00)
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 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 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 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)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
Fodor's Exploring Scotland • Gilbert Summers GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 288 PAGES With its many photographs, great introductory chapters and practical travel information, this compact guide for visitors is an excellent overview of Scotland and its highlights. Most of the book is devoted to a region-by-region description of attractions, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, the highlands and islands. With excellent local maps. (SCT09, $22.00)
Fodor's Ireland • Fodor's Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 688 PAGES A frequently revised, practical guide in the popular series. (IRE189, $23.99)
Fodor's See It Britain • Fodors GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 464 PAGES An inaugural volume in this new line of guides by Fodor's this book is notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the region. Each page displays full-color photos accompanied by much useful information on how to eat, sleep, shop, and sightsee in Great Britain. (GBR503, $24.95)
Fodor's See It Ireland • Fodor's GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 384 PAGES An inaugural volume in this new line of guides by Fodor's this book is notable for its especially vibrant presentation of the country. Each page displays full-color photos accompanied by much useful information on how to eat, sleep, shop, and sightsee in Ireland. (IRE138, $24.99)
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)
Following Hadrian, A Second-Century Journey Through the Roman Empire • Elizabeth Speller TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2004 • PAPER • 328 PAGES A portrait of the charismatic, troubled emperor and his world, which extended from the Mediterranean to the British Isles. (ITL456, $29.95)
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)
For the Beauty of the Earth: Birding, Opera, and Other Journeys • Thomas Urquhart BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2006 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Urquhart chronicles a lifelong affair with nature, combined with a passion for music, as he travels-- and bird watches-- through pastoral England, Italy, the Camargue in Provence, and the villages of Mali. (BRD35, $15.00)
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 Friendly Shakespeare, A Thoroughly Painless Guide to the Best of the Bard • Norrie Epstein LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 550 PAGES An informative, entertaining guide to Shakespeare. Epstein, a literature professor at the University of California, combines critical discussions of Shakespeare's works and times with fun facts and trivia. Crammed with sidebars, illustrations and photographs, the book is perfect for browsing. (GBR435, $20.00)
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 Gate of Angels • Penelope Fitzgerald LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 176 PAGES Fitzgerald's seriocomic novel, set in 1912, finds a young scientist from Cambridge and a nurse from London embroiled in a romance that challenges them both emotionally and intellectually. (GBR469, $13.95)
A Ghost of a Chance • Peter Guttridge MYSTERY • 2005 • PAPER • 252 PAGES Black magic, pagans and Satanists befall Nick Madrid in the second book of the series. Madrid, the self-deprecating, yoga-loving British journalist, agrees to inhabit a haunted place on the Sussex Downs for one night, only to discover a dead man hanging from an oak. The mystery leads him closer to a secret treasure concering black magician Aleister Crowley. (GBR648, $14.00)
Golfing in Ireland, The Most Complete Guide for Adventurous Golfers • Rob Armstrong GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A guide to Ireland's hallowed links, including descriptions, scorecards, photographs and practical information. (IRE158, $19.95)
Good Gardens Guide • Katherine Lambert • Peter King GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 639 PAGES A thorough guide to Britain's historic gardens, complete with tourist information and photographs. (GBR632, $29.95)
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 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)
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 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 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)
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)
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, 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)
Hamlet • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2009 • PAPER • 420 PAGES A reprinting of John Dover's classic Cambridge Shakespeare series. (GBR349, $29.00)
The Hand of Justice • Susanna Gregory LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 536 PAGES In fractious 14th century Cambridge, physician and forensic specialist Matthew Bartholomew's work is never done. Two aristocratic prisoners have returned to Cambridge to face those that helped convict them. When two corpses are discovered at the local mill, Bartholomew is sent to investigate. Fourth in the series. (GBR629, $7.99)
A Handful of Dust • Evelyn Waugh LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 308 PAGES Satirical novel of Britain between the wars. (GBR190, $14.99)
The Hanged Man: A Story of Miracle, Memory, and Colonialism in the Middle Ages • Robert Bartlett HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 192 PAGES The story of 14th-century Welsh rebel William Cragh, his miraculous survival after being hanged in the gallows, and Bishop Thomas de Cantilupe, whose prayer many thought saved the doomed Cragh. Bartlett draws the story, in part, from canonization hearings of the Bishop. (GBR535, $18.95)
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)
The Heart of England, The Amateur Historians Guide • Sarah Valente Kettler • Carole Trimble GUIDEBOOK • 2003 • PAPER • 410 PAGES A helpful guide to touring historic sites in England, including Windsor Castle, Eton College, Oxford and Shakespeare's hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. Explore castles and cathedrals, abbeys and almshouses, towns and Tudor manors, and even ancient pubs, all within two hours of London. (GBR652, $22.95)
Heaven Lies About Us, Stories • Eugene McCabe LITERATURE • 2004 • HARD COVER • 309 PAGES An anthology of McCabe's best short fiction over the last 30 years. The twelve stories, set close to the Irish border where the author, playwright and farmer makes his home, portray rural Ireland of the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in Glasgow in 1930, McCabe has lived and farmed on the Monaghan-Fermanagh border near Clones for 40 years. The fully realized stories are poetic but dark indeed. (IRE173, $24.95)
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)
Hengeworld • Michael Pitts ARCHAEOLOGY • 2001 • PAPER • 368 PAGES The story of Stonehenge and the lost civilization that built it. (GBR540, $17.95)
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)
Henry IV, Part I • E. W. Ives LITERATURE • 2008 • PAPER • 336 PAGES In the Oxford Shakespeare series. (GBR432, $10.95)
Henry IV, Part II • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 400 PAGES Part of the New Folger Library Shakespeare Series, Shakespeare's full text with a scene by scene prose summary and critical analysis. (GBR433, $4.99)
Henry V, The Oxford Shakespeare • William Shakespeare • Stanley Wells • Gary Taylor LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 352 PAGES This Oxford Shakespeare edition of the Bard's history is heavily footnoted, providing lots of commentary on the immortal text. (GBR476, $10.95)
Henry VI, Part II • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 336 PAGES The struggle for the crown continues between the Lancaster and York families in the second volume of Shakespeare's two part dramatization of the War of The Roses. (GBR643, $10.95)
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 Hidden Places of Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight • David Gerrard GUIDEBOOK • 2006 • PAPER • 250 PAGES With an attractive new design, this seventh edition of the popular guidebook highlights secluded and less well-known areas of Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, pointing to locations of interest, accommodations, dining and specialist shops. (GBR675, $29.95)
Hijacking Enigma, The Insider's Tale • Christine Large HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A superbly told, gripping tale of Enigma machine, its role in WWI-era code breaking and bizarre theft from the Bletchley Park in 2003 (which was partly an attack against the author, the museum's director). (SPY22, $15.95)
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 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)
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 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: 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: 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 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)
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)
Hogarth, A Life and a World • Jenny Uglow BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 800 PAGES This expansive biography of the English artist is as much about 18th-century London as it is about the man and the engravings that made him famous. Friend to Swift, Pope and Gay, Howarth used his art to comment on the social conditions of his time, and his images remain some of the most recognizable from the period. (GBR517, $30.00)
Hons and Rebels • Nancy Mitford • Christopher Hitchens BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • PAPER • 304 PAGES This entertaining memoir of Mitford's exceedingly eccentric childhood in Britain and her adventures abroad during the Spanish Civil War and as a muckraking journalist in the States is chock full of personality and wit. Mitford is best known for The American Way of Death (1963), an expose of the funeral industry in America. (GBR603, $15.95)
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 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)
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)
I'll Know it When I See It, A Daughter's Search for Home In Ireland • Alice Carey BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2005 • PAPER • 310 PAGES In this touching memoir, Alice Carey recounts her upbringing as a maid's daughter among Broadway legends and then her move to Ireland in later years, where she and her husband renovate an old farmhouse. (IRE149, $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)
The Illustrated Longitude • Dava Sobel • William J.H. Andrewes HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 256 PAGES An elegant extended essay on the historically vexing problem of determining longitude and the solution developed by master clockmaker John Harrison. It's a captivating story of marine chronometers, Byzantine 18th-century British politics, and the age of sail. This edition features hundreds of drawings, photographs and illustrations of peoples, places and -- most significantly -- of the chronometers themselves. (HSC02, $28.00)
Imagining Shakespeare, A History of Texts and Visions • Stephen Orgel HISTORY • 2003 • HARD COVER • 172 PAGES In this illustrated volume, Stephen Orgel explores interpretations of Shakespeare from the last four hundred years. (GBR615, $29.95)
Impersonations: The Performance of Gender in Shakespeare's England • Stephen Orgel HISTORY • 1996 • PAPER • 179 PAGES An exploration of the representation of gender in Elizabethan drama and society. (GBR617, $44.00)
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 Ruins: A Journey Through History, Art, and Literature • Christopher Woodward ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2003 • PAPER • 280 PAGES Art historian Woodward roams widely in search of the pleasures of ruins, traveling from Sicily and Rome to Turkey, around his native England and off to Zanzibar. "If I am lonely in a foreign country," he confesses at the outset of these thought-provoking essays, " I search for ruins." He's a wonderful writer. In this infectiously compelling book, he meditates on the allure, majesty and history of our fascination with antiquities, mixing his own observations with those of writers, painters and architects. He pays proper homage to Rose Macaulay and her wonderful Pleasure of Ruins. (TVL37, $16.00)
In Search of Churchill, A Historian's Journey • Martin Gilbert BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1997 • PAPER • 338 PAGES Winston Churchill's official biographer recounts the monumental and fascinating task of writing the eight volume account his life. (GBR584, $19.95)
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 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)
In the Name of the Father • Jim Sheridan 1994 • DVD Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Gerry Conlon, a man falsely accused of bombing a London pub in connection with the IRA. Conlon is imprisoned, along with his father (Pete Postlethwaite), and with the help of a British attorney (Emma Thompson), he fights for fourteen years to prove his innocence and save both himself and his father. (IRE134, $14.98)
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 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)
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 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 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)
An Instance of the Fingerpost • Iain Pears MYSTERY • 2000 • PAPER • 691 PAGES This complex historical thriller, set in 17th-century Oxford, revolves around four narrators -- a medical student from Venice, a young man intent on proving his late father innocent of treason, a cryptographer, and an archivist -- each suspecting a different killer. (GBR530, $17.00)
Intimate Apparel • Lynn Nottage LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 58 PAGES An award-winning play set in 1905 about a young African-American woman who travels to New York in pursuit of independence. (GBR619, $7.50)
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)
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 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 Prehistory • George Eogan • Michael Herity ARCHAEOLOGY • 1996 • PAPER • 320 PAGES An authoritative survey of prehistory Ireland from Stone Age beginnings through The Iron Age and the Celts. With 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations. (IRE151, $44.95)
Ireland in the Twentieth Century • Tim Pat Coogan HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 896 PAGES A political, economic, and cultural history of Ireland and its transformation from an agragarian society to modern nation by a popular journalist and author. (IRE162, $32.00)
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 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 our Island Home, An Aerial Tour Around Ireland's Coastline • Kevin Dwyer CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2006 • PAPER • 160 PAGES A gorgeous bird's-eye view of the beaches, harbors, islands and towns of Ireland's coast. (IRE192, $37.95)
Ireland's Women, Writings Past and Present • Katie Donovan ANTHOLOGY • 1995 • PAPER • 522 PAGES A collection of writings about and by Irish women, from Queen Maeve of Connaught to President Mary Robinson. (IRE184, $29.95)
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 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 Novel • Frank Delaney LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 576 PAGES In this hugely pleasurable tale Delaney wraps the history, myth and legend of Ireland around a quest. It's a hugely ambitious, subtly comic and enthralling story of the importance of tales and tradition. (IRE156, $14.99)
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)
Ireland, An Oxford Archaeological Guide • Andy Halpin ARCHAEOLOGY • 2006 • PAPER • 568 PAGES A complete guide and gazetteer covering Ireland's ancient sites and places of interest. With over 250 plans and illustrations of the major sites and treasures (IRE191, $50.50)
Ireland, In a Glass of Its Own • Peter Biddlecombe TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 512 PAGES A hilarious account of a journey through Ireland by the seasoned and well-traveled author. (IRE185, $15.95)
Irish Art, A Concise History • Bruce Arnold ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1989 • PAPER • 180 PAGES An illustrated introduction to the art of Ireland from ancient times to today, from the excellent World of Art series. With 179 illustration, 20 in color. (IRE143, $14.95)
The Irish Companion • Think Books CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2006 • HARD COVER • 160 PAGES A short compendium of Irish personalities, history and lore, from the Blarney Stone to Guinness to and Yeats. (IRE190, $9.95)
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 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)
The Irish Way, A Walk Through Ireland's Past and Present • Robert Emmett Ginna TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 298 PAGES Ginna memorably opens this engaging account of his 350-mile ramble down the spine of Ireland in a downpour at Malin Head, Ireland's most northerly point. He weaves history and anecdote into a spirited, remarkably informed portrait of place. (IRE178, $15.95)
Iron Bridge: Symbol of the Industrial Revolution • Neil Cossons • Barrie Trinder ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2003 • HARD COVER • 168 PAGES An architectural history of iron bridges, from the first construction in England in 1779 to contemporary times. Originally published in 1979 and updated in 2003. (GEN277, $45.00)
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)
J.M.W. Turner • Sam Smiles ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2000 • PAPER • 80 PAGES A biography of the artist. (ART53, $15.95)
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 • 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)
James Hutton, the Founder of Modern Geology • Scottish Natural Heritage 1997 • PAPER (GEO07, $28.00)
Jane Austen in Bath, Walking Tours of the Writer's City • Katharine Reeve GUIDEBOOK • 2006 • HARD COVER • 144 PAGES The city of Bath provided the inspiration and the setting for both Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. This beautifully illustrated guidebook leads the reader through the places frequented by both Austen and her fictional characters. (GBR671, $19.95)
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)
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)
The Journey Through Wales and The Description of Wales • Lewis Thorpe • Gerald of Wales TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1978 • PAPER • 274 PAGES A valuable historical account of the Medieval Welsh by Gerald of Wales, who traveled through the countryside in the company Archbishop of Canterbury in 1188. (GBR312, $16.00)
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides • Samuel Johnson • James Boswell TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1984 • PAPER • 429 PAGES Written when Johnson was 63 and Boswell 32 in 1773 (when they had been friends for ten years), these travel journals were the result of a three-month trip to Scotland. Johnson observed Scotland, and Boswell observed Johnson. Witty and entertaining, these travel classics complement each other as Johnson describes the customs, education, religion, agriculture, and trade of the Scots, and Boswell records Johnson's behavior and conversation. (SCT07, $18.00)
Jude the Obscure • Thomas Hardy LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 484 PAGES Hardy's last novel, the story of a young man of the working-class searching for an education and acceptance in the unforgiving world of Victorian England. "Penguin Classics" edition. (GBR450, $10.00)
Just Enough Jeeves • P.G. Wodehouse LITERATURE • 2010 • PAPER • 556 PAGES Irresistible comic masterpieces -- two novels and a story collection -- from the author Christopher Hitchens calls "the gold standard of English wit." (GBR519, $18.95)
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)
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)
A Killer in Winter • Susanna Gregory LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 488 PAGES In 14th century Cambridge, physician and forensic specialist Matthew Bartholomew is reluctantly drawn back into the circle of an old love when her wealthy husband is murdered. Third in the series. (GBR630, $7.99)
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 Hereafter, A Novel • Dorothy Dunnett LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 721 PAGES Another in the wildly popular historical tales by Dorothy Dunnett, this one the story of Macbeth retold as a Norse saga. Lady Godiva makes a cameo. (GBR489, $17.95)
Knight's Castle • Edward Eager LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 198 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An irresistible classic. Before the kids can say "Ivanhoe" three times fast, they'll be transported to castle battlements in medieval England, where Robin Hood is battling for Sir Ivanhoe's release. Appropriately enough, the novel's four American protagonists are also thus suddenly transported -- in their case, when a toy soldier comes to life. Eager's book is packed with period detail (especially molten lead!) and great good humor. Ages 8 to 12. (GBR340, $6.99)
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)
Lady Godiva, A Literary History of the Legend • Daniel Donoghue BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A scholarly study of the origins, reality and significance of the story of a naked lady on a horse in 11th-century Coventry. Though based on the life of an actual woman, Donogue (Professor of English and American literature and language at Harvard) shows that such a ride probably never happened. Donoghue does a marvelous job of tracing the history of the delicious myth in its many forms from medieval times to the present. How can you go wrong with a tale of lords, ladies, nudity and taxes? (GBR478, $27.95)
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)
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)
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)
Last Bus to Woodstock • Colin Dexter MYSTERY • 1996 • PAPER • 288 PAGES An Inspector Morse mystery set in a small town outside Oxford (GBR451, $7.99)
The Last Chronicle of Barset • Anthony Trollope LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 928 PAGES First published in 1867, this the final volume in Trollope's trilogy that also includes The Warden and Barchester Towers. (GBR441, $14.00)
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 of the Celts • Marcus Tanner HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 398 PAGES Welsh journalist Tanner mixes anecdote, interview and research in this lively account of encounters with far-flung Celts from Scotland, Wales and Belfast to Brittany, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and Trelew. (GBR527, $25.00)
Le Morte Darthur, The Winchester Manuscript • Thomas Malory • Helen A. Cooper LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 616 PAGES One of the most complete collections of Arthurian legends as compiled and interpretted by Thomas Malory in 1470, presented here with explanatory notes. (GBR442, $16.95)
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 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 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)
The Life and Death of King John • Claire McEachern • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER • 104 PAGES The Penguin Classics edition, edited by Claire McEachern. (GBR613, $8.00)
Life in the English Country House, A Social and Architectural History • Mark Girouard ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1994 • PAPER • 432 PAGES A celebrated social and architectural history of life in English country houses, fully illustrated in black and white and color, first published in 1978. Girouard traces the history of these houses from medieval times to World War II. The Guardian said that Girouard has "no equal in describing social and political change in architectural terms." Based on the author's lectures at Oxford in 1975-76. (GBR221, $45.00)
The Life of Isaac Newton • Richard S. Westfall BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1994 • PAPER • 328 PAGES A lively, scholarly biography of Isaac Newton for the general reader, following the scientist from his boyhood in Woolsthorpe to his achievements at Cambridge University. It's condensed from Westfall's definitive 900-page "Never at Rest," which focuses on the scientific details of Newton's work. (SCI06, $27.99)
Life of St. Columba • Adomnan of Iona • Richard Sharpe BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1995 • PAPER • 395 PAGES An early account of the life of St. Columba (521-97), the 6th-century abbot who established the monastery on Iona. Written by Adomnan of Iona at the turn of the 8th century, it introduces the profoundly spiritual man as well as his famous abbey. A Penguin Classic. (IRE103, $17.00)
The Lighthouse • P. D. James MYSTERY • 2006 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Another exceptionally clever detective story by the masterful PD (does it stand for pure delight?) James, who celebrated her 85th birthday with the publication of this 13th book featuring Scotland Yard's Commander Adam Dalgliesh. Set on an island off Cornwell -- where you can almost hear the crashing of waves and the taste of the salt air -- an unpleasant and famous novelist is bizarrely murdered. It's the classic whodunit, deftly handled. (GBR604, $15.00)
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)
A Literary Guide to Dublin • Vivien Igoe GUIDEBOOK • 2000 • PAPER • 384 PAGES A guide to the famous writers of Dublin -- both longtime residents and travelers who were inspired by the city -- and the locations associated with them. Included, of course, is a list of notable pubs. (IRE139, $19.95)
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)
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, A History • A.N. Wilson HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A brief, evocative meditation on the rich and varied history of England's capital city by the prolific British writer, critic and historian. Wilson examines London through several lenses, using humor and insight to discuss art, architecture, politics and culture. (GBR480, $14.00)
London, A Social History • Roy Porter HISTORY • 1998 • PAPER • 448 PAGES A short, illustrated history of London, chronicling the city from its origins as an outpost of the Roman Empire through medieval hub, Renaissance center and imperial capital. A professor of history at University College, Porter is a marvelous guide. (GBR59, $20.95)
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)
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner • Alan Sillitoe LITERATURE • 1992 • PAPER • 176 PAGES Powerful tales of working-class English youth in 1950s Nottingham, including the title story, an inspiring piece where a young man expresses rebellion through running. (GBR389, $14.00)
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 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 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)
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)
Looking for Class, Days and Nights at Oxford and Cambridge • Bruce Feiler TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2003 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A witty, charming and astutely observed account of an American graduate student's year spent in the halls of England's most prestigious academic institutions. From the accomplished author of "Learning to Bow" and "Walking the Bible" (GBR467, $14.95)
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)
Lost Balls: Great Holes, Tough Shots and Bad Lies • Charles Lindsay • John Updike SPORT • 2005 • HARD COVER • 128 PAGES A lighthearted collection of photographs of the world's great golf courses and many ways one can lose a ball. With a forward by John Updike. (GOL04, $29.99)
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 Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed the World • Jenny Uglow HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 608 PAGES A marvelous, affectionate portait of five individuals, friends and associates, Erasmus Darwin, Joseph Priestly, Matthew Boulton, James Watt and Josiah Wedgewood. The idea was that the men would get together and exchange a few ideas. They ended up as key players in the Industrial Revolution. Uglow captures the spirit and character of the men and the times. (GBR419, $22.00)
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)
Macbeth • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 214 PAGES This edition of the Bard's tragedy is heavily footnoted, providing lots of commentary on the immortal text. Set in Scotland. (SCT75, $5.95)
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)
The Making of the English Working Class • Edward P. Thompson HISTORY • 1966 • PAPER • 864 PAGES A magnificent history of 19th-century England and the construction of the class system, essential to understanding the social makeup of the country over the last 150 years. Among the many pleasures of this seminal book is Thompson's engaging way with words. (GBR417, $25.00)
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)
Manchester/Bolton & Warrington Map • Ordnance Survey 2002 • MAP A detailed topographic map of the Manchester region at a scale of 1:50,000. One Side. 35x40 inches. (GBR400, $19.95)
Mansfield Park • Jane Austen LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER (GBR354, $6.95)
The Map That Changed the World, William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology • Simon Winchester HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER A glimpse into the life of William Smith, a nineteenth-century engineer who became the founding father of modern geology, explores his creation of a lavish map detailing his discovery that rocks consist of many different layers. (GBR607, $14.99)
Maps for Lost Lovers • Nadeem Aslam LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 400 PAGES A well-wrought novel about a Pakistani family living near London, the cultural and personal conflicts of immigrant communities and one woman's struggles with her faith in Islam. Winner of the 2005 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize. (GBR567, $14.95)
Marlborough, His Life and Times, Volume I • Winston S. Churchill BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 1050 PAGES Part one in the definitive biography of the great English military commander John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. Written by Winston Churchill, his direct descendent, the book is both a comprehensive portrait of the man and an exhaustive account of his many victories on the battlefield. (GBR581, $45.00)
Marlborough, His Life and Times, Volume II • Winston S. Churchill BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 1080 PAGES Part two in the definitive biography of the great English military commander John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough. Written by Winston Churchill, his direct descendent, the book is both a comprehensive portrait of the man and an exhaustive account of his many victories on the battlefield. (GBR582, $45.00)
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, 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 Mayor of Casterbridge • Thomas Hardy LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 416 PAGES This ultimately tragic tale is set among the rural folk in Hardy's now-famous county of Wessex, a fictional stand-in for Dorest in Southwest England. (GBR453, $9.00)
The Meaning of Everything, The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary • Simon Winchester HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 288 PAGES The history of the Oxford English Dictionary from its earliest inception through its long path to completion by the celebrated author of The Professor and the Madman. (GBR608, $19.99)
Measure for Measure • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • PAPER The "Oxford World Classics" edition. (GBR351, $7.95)
Media and the British Empire • Chandrika Kaul HISTORY • 2006 • HARD COVER • 256 PAGES A scholarly analysis of how the media shaped and defined the economic, social, political and cultural dynamics of the British Empire. (GBR680, $100.00)
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)
Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe • C.H. Lawrence HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 321 PAGES A study of the economic, social, and cultural roles of religious orders in medieval Western Europe. Expanded third edition. (EUR197, $55.00)
The Merry Wives of Windsor • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 179 PAGES Shakespeare's farce that finds Henry IV's Falstaff transplanted to the genre of comedy. (GBR458, $8.00)
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)
The Midwife's Apprentice • Karen Cushman LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 122 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The 1996 Newbery Medal winner, this novel geared for 8-12 year olds recounts the apprenticeship of a waif named Brat, who learns to be a midwife in 14th-century England. Short, funny and atmospheric. (GBR341, $5.99)
Military Intelligence Blunders and Cover-Ups • John Hughes-Wilson HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER A former British intelligence officer, Colonel Hughes-Wilson offers an insider's perspective in this provocative roundup of information gone terrible wrong from Pearl Harbor to the Tet offensive, Yom Kippur War, Falkland Islands conflict, Kuwait and 9/11. (SPY24, $15.00)
The Mists of Avalon • Marion Zimmer Bradley LITERATURE • 1987 • PAPER • 912 PAGES This novel retells the legends of King Arthur through the perspective of Guinevere and Morgan Le Fay. (GBR443, $18.00)
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 Ireland: A Very Short Introduction • Senia Paseta HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 184 PAGES A remarkably concise history in the well-regarded series, touching on the major aspects of Irish history, politics, and society in the late 19th and 20th century. (IRE195, $11.95)
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)
Mrs. Dalloway • Virginia Woolf LITERATURE • 1990 • PAPER • 216 PAGES A day in the life. (GBR464, $13.00)
Much Ado About Nothing • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 304 PAGES In the New Cambridge Shakespeare series. (GBR474, $19.99)
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 Queen's Armes • Aaron J. Elkins MYSTERY • 2005 • PAPER • 256 PAGES A vanishing skull and a mysterious body all point toward one thing -- murder -- in the third installment of the popular Gideon Oliver series. The forensic anthropologist's honeymoon in England unexpectedly becomes a dangerous case of villainy, and the aging, yet horny, Oliver, with the frequent aid of his park ranger wife Julie and FBI friend, John Lau, decides to take another case. (GBR650, $7.99)
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)
My Early Life, 1874-1904 • Winston S. Churchill • William Manchester BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1996 • PAPER • 400 PAGES Churchill's memoir of his first 30 years, written with considerable hindsight in 1930. His childhood, education, experiences as a war correspondent and early dabblings in politics are all addressed. (GBR580, $20.00)
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)
National Geographic Great Britain • National Geographic GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 400 PAGES A compact guidebook to Great Britain, published by National Geographic in its attractive, visual style. It features many color photographs, maps and good information history, nature, culture and travel. (GBR594, $27.95)
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)
The New Foxe's Book of Martyrs • John Foxe • Harold J. Chadwick RELIGION • 2001 • PAPER • 442 PAGES A 16th-century collection of accounts of protestant martyrs. (GBR446, $15.99)
The Normans • Trevor Rowley HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 272 PAGES An archaeological perspective on the Normans with a good, illustrated chapter on Norman castles. (EUR176, $27.50)
North & Mid Wales Map • Ordnance Survey MAP A regional touring map of Wales covering the northern half of the country at a scale of 1:175,000. One Side. 37x45 inches. (GBR682, $14.95)
North Pembrokeshire Map • Ordnance Survey 2002 • MAP A detailed regional map of northern Pembrokeshire, published in Great Britain at a scale of 1:25,000. Two Sides. 37x50 inches. (GBR415, $23.95)
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)
A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St. Bees to Robin Hood's Bay • Terry Marsh GUIDEBOOK • 2006 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A full-color guide to walking northern England, west coast to east and vice-versa. Divided into three sections, this book provides information on nature, history, culture, and accommodations. The author has worked in conjunction with local officers to ensure the safety and accessibilty of the route, making this a great resource for the independent traveler. (GBR533, $21.95)
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)
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)
The Norton Shakespeare • William Shakespeare • Stephen Greenblatt • Walter Cohen • Jean E. Howard • Katharine Eisaman Maus LITERATURE • 1997 • HARD COVER • 3392 PAGES Professor Coppelia Kahn at Brown (our alma mater) recommends this edition with enthusiasm. To quote: "This is the state-of-the-art, students' edition of Shakespeare, whatever the students' age. The Norton Shakespeare has what other editions lack: helpful, necessary notes on allusions and word meanings, and highly readable, stimulating introductions to each play." This big book is organized into four sections: Romances and Poems, Tragedies, Comedies, and Histories (also available as four individual paper editions). Based on the ground-breaking Oxford edition, the plays are presented in an easy-to-read single-column with marginal glosses. The book is the product of a collaboration between teams of editors at Oxford and Norton. (GBR471, $65.00)
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)
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)
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)
Oliver Twist • Charles Dickens LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 362 PAGES A Dickens' favorite, featuring his most popular orphan hero. (GBR461, $3.50)
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)
Original Sin • P.D. James MYSTERY • 2009 • PAPER • 512 PAGES Master of the British murder mystery, P.D. James brings back Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh for this whodunit in which prominent members of the publishing industry are dropping dead. (GBR409, $15.95)
Orkneyinga Saga, The History of the Earls of Orkney • Hermann Palssom • Paul Edwards LITERATURE • 1981 • PAPER • 253 PAGES A fusion of myth and legend, circa A.D. 1200, by an unnamed Icelandic author. This medieval chronicle, with its center of action among the Orkney Islands, is a rich source of knowledge on the northern isles. Describing the conquest of the islands by Norwegian kings during the Viking expansion of the ninth century, it's an account of war and the struggle for supremacy by Sigurd the Powerful, St. Magnus the Martyr, and Hralf, the conqueror of Norway. This modern translation is very readable. (VIK07, $16.00)
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)
Othello • William Shakespeare • Roma Gill LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 176 PAGES This Oxford School Shakespeare edition of Othello is nicely footnoted, providing lots of commentary on the immortal text. Set in Venice. (ITL527, $7.95)
The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare • Michael Dobson • Stanley Wells LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 572 PAGES Using the same format as The Oxford Shakespeare, this authoritative study of Shakespeare covers a wealth of topics to guide the reader through the times and works of the Bard. An essential read for the student or lover of Shakespeare. (GBR655, $43.95)
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)
Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval England • Nigel Saul HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 320 PAGES A well-illustrated, authoritative overview of Medieval England with much to offer the general reader. (GBR545, $28.95)
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)
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)
The Oxford Shakespeare, The Complete Works • William Shakespeare • Gary Taylor • John Jowett • William Montgomery • Stanley Wells LITERATURE • 2005 • HARD COVER • 1424 PAGES This tome is the authority in Shakespearean scholarship. In addition to the complete works, the book contains a general introduction, a brief introduction to each work and an abundance of secondary material, including a glossary, an index of characters, an index of first lines of the Sonnets and other useful and illuminating essays. (GBR654, $40.00)
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)
Pagan Celtic Ireland, The Enigma of the Irish Iron Age • Barry Raftery ARCHAEOLOGY • 1993 • PAPER • 232 PAGES An illustrated, authoritative overview of Iron Age Ireland, its culture and history. Barry Raftery draws on archaeological evidence in creating a portrait. (IRE153, $29.95)
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)
The Painted Veil • W. Somerset Maugham LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 256 PAGES Somerset's moving novel of love and betrayal set in 1920s China. It tells the story of a beautiful English woman, her hasty marriage to an arrogant doctor, move to Hong Kong, her love affair and subsequent redemption in a remote Chinese village in the midst of a cholera epidemic. The film, released in 2006, stars Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall starred in the 1934 original. (HKG28, $15.00)
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)
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)
The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland, From Earliest Times to the Present Day • Barry Cunliffe HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Barry Cunliffe, an archaeologist and colleagues trace key events from the earliest settlements through the Roman and Norman conquests, the Civil War, the World Wars, and the rise and fall of the British Empire in this richly illustrated, accessible history. A social as well as political history, the book looks at the life of society, focusing on such subjects as the growth of towns, the changing languages of the British Isles, women's suffrage, and the ascent of Victorian seaside resorts and suburburbanization. (GBR624, $35.00)
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)
Picture History of British Ocean Liners, 1900 to the Present • William H. Miller HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 134 PAGES A portrait of the great 20th-century ocean liners. Included in all their majesty are the Viceroy of India, the Orion, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Windsor Castle, Pacific Princess, Royal Princess Crown Princess, and Aurora. With 200 black and white photographs and informative captions. (OCE83, $19.95)
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)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Irish • Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS • 2005 • AUDIO CD Four audio CDs with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Irish, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (IRE160, $19.95)
The Pirate Queen, In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea • Barbara Sjoholm HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 355 PAGES Tales of plucky female pirates and explorers in the North Atlantic. Long interested in women and seafaring, Sjoholm journeyed from Ireland out to the Shetland and Faroe islands, Iceland and Norway collecting folk-tales, stories and historical accounts of these remarkable seafaring heroines. (IRE135, $16.95)
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists • Gideon Defoe LITERATURE • 2004 • HARD COVER • 144 PAGES In this madcap novel, the Pirate Captain and his motley crew conspire to attack the Beagle, believing it to be a gold-laden ship belonging to the Bank of England. When they are confronted, instead, with Darwin and his collection of monkeys, they agree to help rescue Darwin's brother from the sinister Bishop of Oxford. Defoe's tale is more fantasy than fact, but it might entince you to learn more about Darwin's life. Both children (ages 12 and up) and adults will enjoy the book's Monty Pythonesque humor. (GBR585, $15.95)
A Plague on Both Your Houses • Susanna Gregory LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 416 PAGES The first book in Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew chronicles. In 14th century Cambridge, physician and medieval detective Matthew Bartholomew and his friend Brother Michael investigate the murder of a man found tied to a waterwheel. But their case falls apart with the arrival of the Black Death in Cambridge (GBR631, $7.99)
The Playboy of the Western World and Other Plays • J.M. Synge LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 240 PAGES Considered indecent at the time, this bitter comedy by the Irish playwright incited riots when it was first performed in 1907. Rich in earthy detail, it's set among the local folk on the coast of County Mayo. This volume also includes In the Shadow of the Glen and Riders to the Sea. (IRE130, $9.95)
Players of Shakespeare 1, Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Twelve Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company • Philip Brockbank LITERATURE • 1988 • PAPER • 192 PAGES Twelve outstanding actors give accounts of their preparation and performance in Royal Shakespeare Company productions in this rich and illuminating text. The reader is permitted a rare glimpse into the creative process of an actor at the highest level. (GBR658, $44.00)
Players of Shakespeare 2, Further Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company • Russell Jackson • Robert Smallwood LITERATURE • 1989 • PAPER • 216 PAGES Fourteen essays by actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company shed light on their experiences being in various productions from 1982 to 1987. They delve into the details of the characters they played, illuminating subtelties rarely observed. (GBR659, $35.00)
Players of Shakespeare 3, Further Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company • Russell Jackson • Robert Smallwood LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 236 PAGES Thirteen actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company offer their insights into the creative process of bringing a role to life, in productions from 1987 to 1991. The plays covered include many well-known titles, but also offer the reader a rare glimpse into productions of Cymbeline, Titus Andronicus and more. (GBR660, $38.00)
Players of Shakespeare 4, Further Essays in Shakespearean Performance by Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company • Robert Smallwood LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER • 222 PAGES Featuring essays from twelve top-notch actors in the Royal Shakespeare Company, this collection is a witty and thoughtful discussion of Shakespeare's works through the eyes of the artists who play in them. (GBR661, $38.00)
Players of Shakespeare 5 • Robert Smallwood LITERATURE • 2005 • PAPER • 244 PAGES The fifth volume of collected essays by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. They offer enlightening insight on the creative process of bringing a Shakespearean role to the stage. These twelve essays concern productions from 1999 to 2002. (GBR662, $38.00)
Players of Shakespeare 6, Essays in the Performance of Shakespeare's History Plays • Robert Smallwood LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 236 PAGES The sixth volume of collected essays by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. (GBR663, $62.99)
The Poems of Edward Thomas • Edward Thomas • Peter Sacks LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 148 PAGES A collection of poetry from the England's Edward Thomas, a friend to Robert Frost whose poems evoke the English countryside and the perils of war. Thomas was killed in action in WWI. (GBR601, $17.00)
Poems: Wordsworth • William Wordsworth • Peter Washington LITERATURE • 1995 • HARD COVER • 256 PAGES An Everyman's Library collection of Wordsworth's poetry. (GBR557, $13.50)
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)
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)
Porthmadog & Dollgellau Map • Ordnance Survey MAP A regional map of Wales from the wonderfully detailed Ordnance Survey Landranger series, showing towns, buildings, roads, topographic lines and trails at a scale of 1:50,000. It covers from south of Dolgellau up to Porthmadog and Bala. One Side. 35x44 inches. (GBR365, $19.95)
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)
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, 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)
Prehistoric Britain • Timothy Darvill ARCHAEOLOGY • 2010 • PAPER • 394 PAGES An archaeological history examining the development of societies in Britain from earliest times to the Roman conquest of 43 AD. (GBR539, $44.95)
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 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 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 (Audio) • Simon Winchester HISTORY • 2005 • AUDIO CD An audio version of the bizarre true story behind the birth of the Oxford English Dictionary and two men -- one a scholarly editor, the other a mentally ill, convicted murderer -- who contributed to its creation. (GBR606, $14.95)
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)
The Puppet Masters: Spies, Traitors & the Real Forces Behind World Events • John Hughes-Wilson HISTORY • 2004 • HARD COVER • 320 PAGES A former British military intelligence officer looks at the role of espionage in major world events. (SPY23, $34.95)
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate: Two Novels • Nancy Mitford LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 480 PAGES Two semi-autobiographical and slyly satirical novels following the lives and loves of aristocratic Englishwomen in the years before WWII. (GBR602, $15.95)
Pygmalion • George Bernard Shaw LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 176 PAGES George Bernard Shaw's renowned adaptation of Ovid's classic myth, set in 19th-century London. Shaw's play features Professor Henry Higgins, who tries to transform east-ender Eliza Doolittle into a proper English lady. Unlike Ovid's Galatea, Higgins' independent-minded love interest does not acquiesce. Later adapted for musical theatre and the screen as My Fair Lady. (GBR534, $10.00)
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)
Queen Mary 2, The Greatest Ocean Liner of Our Time • John Maxtone-Graham • Harvey Lloyd HISTORY • 2004 • HARD COVER • 208 PAGES A sumptuous celebration of the largest luxury liner afloat, published with Cunard's blessing, written by the always wonderful, entertaining and informative John Maxtone-Graham and with photographs by Harvey Lloyd. (OCE82, $50.00)
Queen of Scots, The True Life of Mary Stuart • John Guy BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2005 • PAPER • 608 PAGES A biography and passionately argued defense of Mary Stuart by British historian and Cambridge fellow John Guy. Winner of the 2004 Whitbread Award for biography. Guy's dramatic narrative of the power struggle between Mary and Elizabeth Tudor (which ended with Mary's beheading), portrays the Scottish queen in a far less scandalous light than previous accounts, attributing her downfall to political and religious factors rather than poor personal choices. (SCT82, $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)
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)
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)
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)
The Remains of the Day • Kazuo Ishiguro LITERATURE • 1990 • PAPER • 256 PAGES A Booker-Prize winning novel of an impeccable English butler whose dedication to his job and the stability it provides his life is challenged by the changes wrought during World War II. (GBR523, $15.00)
Reporting the Raj: The British Press and India, c. 1880-1922 • Chandrika Kaul HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 272 PAGES Kaul reveals the manipulative control of the British over the press during their occupation of India at the turn of the 20th century. Between World War I and Gandhi, the Raj underwent massive transformations that were misreported and falsified by the dominating British Empire. With 14 black-and-white illustrations. (IDA334, $30.00)
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)
Rick Steves' Ireland • Rick Steves GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 536 PAGES A personable, practical guide in the growing series by travel guru Rick Steves. (IRE155, $22.95)
The Rise and Fall of the British Empire • Lawrence James HISTORY • 1996 • PAPER • 704 PAGES An epic history of the empire's achievements from 1600 to the present, Lawrence spices the book with quotes from private letters and diaries -- and good writing. He captures the mission and destiny that drove adventurers and explorers to travel the world in the name of God and king. From the imperial adventures of Drake to Lawrence of Arabia, the impact of the empire on natives, colonials, and the British at home, the lure of wealth tempered by moral misgivings, British sea power, the American War of Independence. (GBR72, $24.99)
The Rivals • Richard Brinsley Sheridan LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 98 PAGES An English comedy of manners, first published in 1776 and set in Bath. (GBR438, $10.95)
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)
The Road to McCarthy, Around the World in Search of Ireland • Pete McCarthy TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2005 • PAPER • 364 PAGES A madcap tour around the world with an extremely unusual theme: our guide, Pete McCarthy, travels from Morocco to Tasmania to New York in search of people and places with his name. Unlike McCarthy, not everyone has a namesake town in Alaska with a population of 18. His journey is hilarious. A sequel to his affectionate, comic McCarthy's Bar, an account of his bar-hopping journey in western Ireland. (IRL160, $13.99)
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)
Robin Hood, A Mythic Biography • Stephen Knight BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2003 • HARD COVER • 247 PAGES The man may never have existed but the tale of Robin Hood, perennially popular, has re-appeared over the ages in a variety of guises. Stephen Knight traces the evolution of the beloved hero and outlaw. (GBR488, $27.95)
Roman Britain • Martin Millett ARCHAEOLOGY • 2006 • PAPER • 144 PAGES Millett draws on archaeological and historical sources to examine the cultural, social and economic impact of 400 years of Roman rule. (GBR638, $22.95)
Roman Britain, A New History • Guy De La Bedoyere HISTORY • 2010 • PAPER • 288 PAGES An illustrated chronicle of Britain as a Roman province places the region's conquest and occupation by Rome within a larger context of Romano-British society, in an account that includes coverage of such topics as the construction of Hadrian's Wall, the rule of the emperor Honorius, and the recent archaeological discovery of the Colchester stadium. (GBR620, $39.95)
Roman Britain, A Very Short Introduction • Peter Salway ARCHAEOLOGY • 2002 • PAPER • 88 PAGES An excellent, brief overview of the Roman period in Britain by a leading specialist. (GBR541, $11.95)
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)
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 Irish Music • Various Artists MUSIC • 2005 • AUDIO CD A carefully chosen sampling of the diverse sounds of Ireland, one of the richest musical traditions of Europe. Includes traditional folk songs, ballads, and dances, as well as modern rock and pop interpertations of the classic Celtic sound. (IRE193, $14.95)
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 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 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)
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 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)
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)
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders • John Clifford Mortimer MYSTERY • 2005 • PAPER • 224 PAGES The story of curmudgeonly London barrister Horace Rumpole's first client. (GBR622, $14.00)
Rumpole and the Primose Path • John Clifford Mortimer MYSTERY • 2004 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A collection of stories revolving around curmudgeonly London barrister Horace Rumpole. (GBR623, $15.00)
Running for the Hills, Growing Up on My Mother's Sheep Farm in Wales • Horatio Clare BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2008 • PAPER A vivid and stirring memoir chronicling the harsh but enchanting life of a young Welsh lad on his mother's remote mountain sheep farm. (GBR609, $15.00)
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, 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)
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)
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)
Seamanship, A Voyage Along the Wild Coasts of the British Isles • Adam Nicolson TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2007 • PAPER • 192 PAGES A stylish writer with a romantic streak, Nicolson offers a direct, engrossing account of a coastal voyage from Cornwall, along the western coast of Ireland, out to the Faeroes and to Orkney in this brief hymn to the sea. He recruits his sailor-friend George; buys a nice, squat wooden boat (the Auk) for the six-month voyage; and drags along a television crew to pay for the trip. Nicolson is the author of the superb Sea Room, Life in the Hebrides. (GBR561, $13.95)
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)
The Secret of Roan Inish • John Sayles 1995 • DVD • FAMILY Director John Sayles adapted Rosalie Fry's book "Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry" for this film about a young girl who is sent to live with her grandparents on the Irish coast across from Roan Inish, the island where her ancestors once lived. She soon discovers the myth of the selkies, seals with the ability to turn into humans, and her investigations of the myth lead to more discoveries about her family's history. (IRE133, $24.95)
Selected Poems 1934-1952 • Dylan Thomas LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 240 PAGES This classic anthology, 90 poems selected by the poet in 1952, represents Dylan's own sense of his work. With recent textual corrections, new introduction and index, not just by title but by also by first line. Originally published as The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas in 1953, the year of this death. (GBR537, $14.95)
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)
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 • 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 • 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 • Michael Wood BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • PAPER • 352 PAGES Companion to a popular PBS documentary series, this lavishly illustrated investigation of the Bard is a nice introduction to the man and his times, delving into his personal life, his influences and his most notable works. While author Michael Wood may be prone to speculation on certain aspects of Shakespeare's life, the book is built on a foundation of solid research. (GBR473, $17.95)
Shakespeare After All • Marjorie Garber HISTORY • 2005 • PAPER • 1008 PAGES Harvard professor Garber employs diverse scholarly approaches in this engaging collection of her lectures on each of Shakespeare's plays, resulting in a thorough and enjoyable work of literary criticism. She provides a general overview of Shakespeare and his works while also giving great attention to the subtle detail of the individual plays. (GBR653, $22.00)
Shakespeare in Theatre, An Anthology of Criticism • Stanley Wells ANTHOLOGY • 2000 • PAPER • 360 PAGES A lively and absorbing collection about Shakespearean performances through the ages. A variety of writers, from respected Shakespearean scholars to famous novelists, recount their observations of specific actors and productions, from the 17th century to present day, in England and abroad. (GBR657, $38.50)
The Shakespeare Stealer • Gary Blackwood LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER • 224 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Featuring an orphan boy, the Bard of Avon and an evil scene-stealer, this gripping novel will transport kids back in time to the Globe theatre and Elizabethan England. Young Widge is hired to infiltrate the Globe and steal "Hamlet" for another acting troupe. Recommended for readers ages 8 to 11. (GBR335, $6.99)
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)
Shakespeare, A Life • Park Honan BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • PAPER • 512 PAGES An altogether delightful, informative and up-to-date biography of the Bard, his life, his work and times. Park Honan, Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds, has also written popular biographies of Jane Austen, Matthew Arnold and Robert Browning. (GBR472, $34.95)
Shakespeare, An Oxford Guide • Stanley Wells • Lena Cowen Orlin HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 744 PAGES Presented in over 40 essays by prominent scholars, this is an engaging and expansive guide to Shakespeare and his works. Organized into four key sections. (GBR656, $52.95)
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)
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)
A Shropshire Lad • A.E. Housman LITERATURE • 1990 • PAPER • 64 PAGES Housman's collection of 63 poems, set in the Shropshire's countryside. (GBR445, $2.50)
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)
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)
The Sisters, The Saga of the Mitford Family • Mary S. Lovell BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2003 • PAPER • 640 PAGES An engaging biography of the six Mitford sisters (Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah), minor English aristocracy who captivated the public with their writing, their love affairs and their politics (including forays into fascism and communism). (GBR599, $18.95)
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)
Small Island, A Novel • Andrea Levy LITERATURE • 2010 • PAPER • 448 PAGES A marvelous novel of family, displacement, belonging, race and empire, set in an immigrant community in post-WWII London. Drawn from family history, Levy named two of her main characters, Gilbert and Hortense, after her parents, who arrived from Jamaica in 1948. Winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year, the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction and the 2009 10th anniversary Best of the Oranges. (GBR560, $15.00)
Something Nasty In The Woodshed • Kyril Bonfiglioli MYSTERY • 2005 • PAPER The third episode in the British cult series starring Charlie Mortdecai, "knave-about-Piccadilly." The raffish Mortdecai, his oafish right-hand man jock, Mortdecai's mysterious and beautiful wife Johanna, and plenty of whiskey star. (GBR605, $13.95)
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 Pembrokeshire Map • Ordnance Survey 2002 • MAP A detailed regional map of southern Pembrokeshire, published in Great Britain at a scale of 1:25,000. Two Sides. 50x37 inches. (GBR414, $23.95)
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)
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)
The Spire • William Golding LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 228 PAGES Golding's allegorical tale of a man's quest to build a magnificent spire atop an English cathedral. (GBR454, $18.95)
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)
Spoken Here, Travels Among Threatened Languages • Mark Abley TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2003 • PAPER • 322 PAGES Yiddish, Welsh, Boro, Yuchi and Hixkaryana, journalist Abley documents the history, linguistics and politics of rare and threatened languages. (WLD48, $18.95)
Stairways to the Stars, Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures • Anthony Aveni ARCHAEOLOGY • 1999 • PAPER • 230 PAGES An overview of the influence of astronomy on the design of ancient monuments and cities, focusing on Stonehenge, the Incas and the Maya. (GEN314, $18.95)
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)
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 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)
Stratford Upon Avon Map • Geographers' A-Z MAP A helpful street map of Stratford Upon Avon, at a scale of 1:11,500. (GBR475, $7.95)
Strong Poison • Dorothy L. Sayers MYSTERY • 1995 • PAPER • 272 PAGES • COMING IN Lord Peter Wimsey finds himself falling for the main suspect in the murder he's investigating in this Dorothy Sayers mystery, the first to feature Harriet Vane. (GBR410, $7.99)
The Stuart Age: England, 1603-1714 • Barry Coward HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 562 PAGES A standard survey of 17th-centuy English history. (GBR548, $58.67)
Sun Dancing, A Vision of Medieval Ireland • Geoffrey Moorhouse LITERATURE • 2009 • PAPER • 280 PAGES This wonderfully inspired book carries the reader back 1000 years to Ireland's early monastic tradition. Combing scholarship and historical fiction, Moorehouse traces the influence of Vikings, Romans and Anglo-Normans on Irish culture through an imagined story of life at the monastery on Skellig Michael. The second half of the book is a more traditional history of monastic traditions in Ireland, organized thematically. (IRE13, $22.95)
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 from Shakespeare • Mary Lamb • Charles Lamb LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 368 PAGES • FAMILY Not just for kids, a classic collection of the Bard's tales retold in prose. First published in 1807, the Lambs adapt 20 of Shakespeare's best-known tradgedies and comedies. It is both a useful introduction for children and a refresher for adults looking to brush up their Shakespeare. Aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds, the authors retain much of Shakespeare's original language. (TTR13, $4.99)
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)
Taming of the Shrew, The Oxford Shakespeare • William Shakespeare • H.J. Oliver LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 256 PAGES This Oxford Shakespeare edition of the Bard's comedy is heavily footnoted, providing lots of commentary on the immortal text. Set in Padua. (ITL526, $10.95)
The Teapots Are Out and Other Eccentric Tales from Ireland • John B. Keane LITERATURE • 2004 • PAPER • 192 PAGES A collection of 17 sentimental, sad, outrageous and just plain fun stories by the prolific North Kerry saloon-keeper, balladeer, playwright and novelist. Keane, who died in 2002, had an eye (and ear) for Irish rural life. Keane's pub in Listowel is a literary landmark. (IRE144, $13.95)
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)
The Thames • Jonathan Schneer HISTORY • 2005 • HARD COVER • 384 PAGES Schneer places the Thames at the center of the great events of British history in this engaging, anecdotal and evocative history. Beginning in prehistoric times, and covering everything from the Magna Carta, to Turner's paintings, and the German Blitz, Schneer emphasizes how the British people have "made" the Thames. Schneer has taught at Yale and the Georgia Institute of Technology. (GBR570, $35.00)
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)
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)
Thomas Becket • Frank Barlow BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1990 • PAPER • 384 PAGES A detailed history of the life of Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, who, after his murder in 1170 at the hands of four knights in the service of his former friend King Henry II, became a celebrated saint and martyr, and one of the most important figures in western Christianity. Barlow, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter, traces the rise and fall of Thomas's career, paying special attention to the more controversial elements of his life, in this thorough biography. (GBR490, $25.95)
Thomas Cranmer, A Life • Diarmaid MacCulloch LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 692 PAGES A biography of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1533 when he presided over Henry VIII's divorce until 1556 when Queen Mary had him burned at the stake. (GBR555, $28.00)
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)
Time and Chance • Sharon Kay Penman LITERATURE • 2003 • PAPER • 544 PAGES Part two of a historical fiction trilogy about King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, this volume continues the story of this famous political marriage and also concentrates on Henry's relationship with his friend Thomas Becket, whom he appointed as Archbishop of Canterbury. Penman follows this tumultuous relationship through Becket's 1107 murder at the hands of four knights serving in Henry's court. A compelling fictionalization of one of the most important and exciting periods in British history. The trilogy begins with the novel When Christ and His Saints Slept (GRB4, $16.00) and concludes with The Devil's Brood (GRB5, $16.00). (GBR492, $16.00)
Tir a'Mhurain, The Outer Hebrides of Scotland • Paul Strand • Catherine Duncan • Basil Davidson CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2002 • HARD COVER • 128 PAGES • COMING IN The great American photographer Paul Strand spent three months in the Hebrides (on the isle of Uist) in 1954, capturing the region's striking landscapes and residents on film. This exhibition catalog, published by Aperture, handsomely reproduces 105 of Strand's duotone images. Basil Davidson provides the atmospheric, elegiac commentary. (SCT58, $40.00)
Titus Andronicus • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 240 PAGES Shakespeare's gory chronicle of two feuding families in ancient Rome features rape, violence, murder and cannibalism. Good fun! (ITL736, $10.95)
To School Through the Fields, An Irish Country Childhood • Alice Taylor BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1994 • PAPER • 151 PAGES Taylor's heartfelt memoir of growing up on a farm surrounded by family and friends. Taylor, a popular memoirist and novelist, was born in 1938 near Newmarket in County Cork. First published in 1988, this is the first of four warmly affectionate memoirs. Taylor's family runs the post office in Innishannon. (IRE141, $14.99)
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 Brown's Schooldays • Thomas Hughes • Andrew Sanders LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 466 PAGES An early novel on the English school experience, Hughes's 1857 tale is set in the Rugby School in the early 19th century. (GBR455, $11.95)
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)
Translations • Brian Friel LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 70 PAGES The fine play about Ireland, England, and the meaning of language. The action is set in 1833 an Irish-speaking community in County Donegal. (IRE127, $13.00)
A Traveller's Companion to Dublin • Thomas Pakenham ANTHOLOGY • 2003 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A splendid introduction to the city. (IRE129, $16.95)
A Traveller's History of England • Christopher Daniell HISTORY • 2008 • PAPER • 320 PAGES This is a good compact history of England. It covers the sweep of English history from the Roman occupation to the Anglo-Saxon, Viking, and Norman invasions, through the power struggles of the medieval kings, the Reformation, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, and the establishment of the empire and its transformation into the British Commonwealth. It continues through the world wars, the welfare state, and membership in the European Economic Community. A gazetteer highlights places of historical interest. With maps and line drawings. (GBR38, $14.95)
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 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)
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)
Trinity • Leon Uris LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 912 PAGES This historical epic set in the late 1800's tells the story of a forbidden relationship between a Catholic rebel and a young Protestant girl. Leon Uris describes the Irish struggle for independence from three very different viewpoints- the British, Irish Catholic and Ulster-Protestant. (IRE182, $7.99)
Tristan and Yseult • Carl Grose LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 208 PAGES The performance texts of four of Britain's Kneehigh theater company's shows: Tristan & Yseult, The Bacchae, The Wooden Frock and The Red Shoes. (GBR625, $19.95)
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)
Tudor England • John Guy HISTORY • 1990 • PAPER • 582 PAGES The standard history by a leading specialist on the Tudor monarchy and author of My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots. (GBR547, $59.95)
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)
Twenty Years A-Growing • Maurice O'Sullivan LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 272 PAGES O'Sullivan's lyrical, sea-drenched memoir of coming of age among the last residents, Gaelic-speaking, of on Great Blasket Island off the Dingle Peninsula. With an introduction by E.M. Forster from the original 1933 edition, photographs and illustrations. (IRE166, $18.95)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona • Mary Beth Rose • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 2000 • PAPER • 92 PAGES One of Shakespeare's early comedies. (GBR612, $8.00)
Ulysses, The Gabler Edition • James Joyce LITERATURE • 1986 • PAPER • 649 PAGES This landmark work in the history of literature is by turns a day in the life of Leopold Bloom, a reimagining of Homer's Odyssey, and a dazzling tour of turn-of-the-century Dublin. Emeritus Professor of English at Dartmouth, whose 24 lectures on Ulysses have been recorded for The Great Courses series, recommends this 1986 edition, as edited by Walter Gabler and a three-member advisory academic committee established by the Joyce estate. (IRE131, $21.00)
Under Milk Wood • Dylan Thomas LITERATURE • 1984 • PAPER • 107 PAGES Originally written as a radio play for the BBC, this short work (Dylan's last) concerns the events on a single spring day in a small coastal village in Wales. It's a lyrical, outrageous celebration of life in the mythical town of Llareggub (bugger all backwards), populated by all manner of madmen and eccentrics. Also available on audio cassette, read by Dylan Thomas himself. Thomas demonstrates his usual breathtaking command of language and rhythm in this much-loved work. (GBR244, $11.95)
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)
The Victorians • A.N. Wilson HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 724 PAGES Wilson's dazzling, panoramic history of the Victorians -- the horrifying disparity in wealth (think of Dickens) and British imperial endeavors -- which runs to 724 pages, is nonetheless well worth the effort. He tackles the personalities, obsessions and follies of an age with drama, humor and telling detail. With 32 pages of illustrations, some in color. (GBR396, $24.95)
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)
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)
The Vision of Piers Plowman (A Critical Edition of the B-Text Based on Trinity Colled Cambridge MS B.15.17) • William Langland • A.V.C. Schmidt LITERATURE • 1991 • PAPER • 550 PAGES A critical edition and accurate rendering of the 14th-century Middle-English epic poem attributed to William Langland. Tough going, but for those interested in medieval literature, it's one of the cornerstones. (GBR444, $12.50)
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 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)
Walking • Henry David Thoreau REFERENCE • 1994 • PAPER • 92 PAGES You may want to carry this small volume in your daypack for inspiration. In it, Thoreau offers his meditations on the spiritual benefits of this most civilized form of travel. (WLK04, $9.99)
Wallpaper City Guide London • Wallpaper Magazine GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER A stylish, thin (it fits in your back pocket) city guide compiled by the design magazine Wallpaper's local reporters. Well-organized, with chapter tabs, many photographs and of-the-moment recommendations. (GBR666, $9.95)
The Warden • Anthony Trollope LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 240 PAGES Trollope's 1855 tale set in a Victorian English Bishopric. (GBR439, $12.00)
Warrior Queens, The Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in World War II • Daniel Allen Butler HISTORY • 2002 • HARD COVER • 224 PAGES A look at the military service of two of the most famous luxury liners. During World War II, both ships were used as troopships and played an important part in the war effort. (OCE84, $26.95)
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)
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)
When Summer's in the Meadow • Christine Breen • Niall Williams BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1990 • PAPER • 224 PAGES The second in a series of popular books about the rural life in County Clare. This time the couple turns to building a family, as they recount the adoption of their daughter. Follows "O Come Ye Back to Ireland" (IRE16). (IRE126, $12.00)
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)
Why Birds Sing, A Journey Through the Mystery of Bird Song • David Rothenberg NATURAL HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 272 PAGES Rothenberg, a jazz clarinetist and philosopher with a strong interest in the interconnectedness of things, weaves music, poetry and science in this intriguing series of essays. It's a riff on the meaning and pleasure of birdsong, including, of course, a chapter on the nightingale. He opens the book with an account of a jam session with -- and for -- the birds of the national aviary. This paperback edition includes an accompanying 63-minute CD of music and birdsong. (BRD23, $19.95)
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)
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)
William Shakespeare, A Compact Documentary Life • Samuel Schoebaum BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1988 • PAPER • 405 PAGES An academic, readable biography of the Bard, incorporating 400 years of scholarship and conjecture. (GBR430, $24.95)
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)
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)
Winston Churchill • John Keegan BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2007 • PAPER • 208 PAGES Acclaimed historian Keegan offers a very human portrait of one of the 20th centurys enduring symbols of heroic defiance. A short book in the Penguin Lives series. (EUR214, $14.00)
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 Winter's Tale • Frances E. Dolan • William Shakespeare LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 116 PAGES In this tragicomedy, one of the last plays Shakespeare wrote, an infant princess is abandoned, the King of Belgium is forced to disguise himself as a shepard, and the Queen of Sicily resurrected. It also includes one of Shakespeare's most famous stage directions: "Exit, pursued by a bear." (GBR614, $8.00)
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, na�ve 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 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)
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)
The Year of the French • Thomas Flanagan HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 648 PAGES A marvelously detailed historical novel depicting events of 1798, when Irish patriots, aided by the French, attempted to liberate their country from English control. First published in 1979, and returned to print by the New York Review of Books. (IRE177, $19.95)
A Zoo in My Luggage • Gerald Durrell BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2005 • PAPER • 208 PAGES Durrell's delightful memoir of a six-month collecting trip to British Cameroon for his new zoo, originally published in 1960. The mission gets funnier in England as Durrell and his wife struggle to find a permanent home for their exotic animals. By the author of Birds, Beasts & Relatives, and My Family and Other Animals. (WAF78, $14.00)

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