20th Century

'The unexpected comic masterpiece of the year' Daily MailIn 1967, retired army major and self-made millionaire Paddy Roy Bates inaugurated himself ruler of the Principality of Sealand on a World War II Maunsell Sea Fort near Felixstowe - and began the...

The suffragettes outraged Victorian society but their personal lives were just as dramatic as their public actions. In this gripping and incisive account of the Pankhursts, Martin Pugh reveals the full story behind this unique family: Emmeline, the...

In June 2022, former miners secured through the Scottish Parliament a collective pardon for convictions acquired during the 1984-85 miners' strike. The Miners' Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act recognised the distinct injustices facing Scottish strikers:...

Closet Queens is a fascinating study of gay men in twentieth century British politics, from Lord Rosebery and Lord Beauchamp in Edwardian times to Michael Portillo and Peter Mandelson in our own era. As all homosexual activity was illegal until 1967,...

Deep in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside lie a number of secret places that played a special part in protecting a generation from the onslaught of a world war. Travellers passing through leafy Worcestershire lanes may catch a glimpse of a...

Meticulously researched over the course of 20 years, this colour rendition of the Luftwaffe's Eagles in defeat accurately portrays the stark reality of the desperate days in 1940 when Britain stood alone. Using an extraordinary combination of stunning...

When the RAF rearmed to meet the growing threat from Nazi Germany's remorseless expansion in the late 1930s, it faced immense challenges. It had to manage a huge increase in size as well as mastering rapid advances in aviation technology. To protect...

Flowers spill everyone's secrets...Working on their busy flower stall in Champion Street Market, Lynda and her mother, Betty, have lots of opportunities to observe their customers and speculate about their lives.Sam regularly buys bouquets for his wife,...

Formed in June 1941, the Guards Armoured Division proved that Household Troops could adapt their legendary high standards to a totally new role. Deploying to Normandy in 1944 under Major General Sir Allan Adair, the Division acquitted itself with...

Christopher Fowler's memoir captures life in suburban London as it has rarely been seen: through the eyes of a lonely boy who spends his days between the library and the cinema, devouring novels, comics, cereal packets - anything that might reveal a...

Churchill's Bomb - from the author of the Costa award-winning biography The Strangest Man - reveals a new aspect of Winston Churchill's life, so far completely neglected by historians: his relations with his nuclear scientists, and his management of...

***LONGLISTED FOR THE 2019 JHALAK PRIZE***A leading new exploration of the Windrush generation featuring David Lammy, Lenny Henry, Corinne Bailey Rae, Sharmaine Lovegrove, Hannah Lowe, Jamz Supernova, Natasha Gordon and Rikki Beadle-Blair.For the...

From 1948 through the 1950s British and Commonwealth forces fought a ruthless communist insurgency on the Malay peninsula. Thanks to sound generalship and the dedication and resilience of the officers and men, the security forces eventually broke the...

In 1946 many Jewish soldiers returned to their homes in England imagining that they had fought and defeated the forces of fascism in Europe. Yet in London they found a revived fascist movement inspired by Sir Oswald Mosley and stirring up agitation...

What was it really like growing up in the 1940s? There are tales of being dragged from bombed out homes and of watching dog fights in the skies above. Of evacuation and a clash of cultures between city centre kids and their country cousins. All endured...

'The most detailed, amusing and accurate account ever of the post-war world of the English Establishment' William Shawcross, Daily Telegraph'Extremely entertaining' Jane Ridley, Literary ReviewKenneth Rose was one of the most astute observers of the...

Exquisite and sumptuous, immaculately tailored, dignified and, above all, practical. The wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth II was as distinctive in style as her position in the world was unique. This remarkable book is a fond reflection of the days when her...

The long awaited and highly revealing diaries of the politician, diplomat, and socialite (married to Lady Diana Cooper)'This is a fabulous, jaw-dropping read' SUNDAY TIMES'Duff Cooper was as close to the action as anyone during the dramatic events of the...

Matthew Dennison's elegant and magisterial biography of Her late Majesty, updated following the death of Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III. 'A worthy and balanced overview of the Queen's life. Dennison is especially good on her...

A major new account of Britain's military strategy between 1914-1945, including the two world wars and everything between The First and Second World Wars were separated by a mere two decades, making the period 1914-1945 an unprecedentedly intense and...

'A wonderful account of a life filled with far more ups and downs than its subject's languid demeanour ever suggested.' Miles Jupp.Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you'd recognise David Tomlinson's face - genial and continually perplexed, he was Mr...

The Falklands War was a turning point in modern British history. On the one hand, it was what some considered to be the 'last of the great Elizabethan adventures', with the Royal Navy pulling off an incredible feat of maritime warfare, under the most...

Its been a State secret for more than seventy years. The official line in the UK has always been that it never happened but this new work challenges the assertion that no German force set foot on British soil during the Second World War (the Channel...

The Times Book of the YearBBC History Magazine Book of the YearDaily Telegraph Book of the Year BOOK OF THE WEEK - The Times 'The strength of this book lies in the cold realities it delivers. "The thirteen months of 1947-48," writes Fenby, "provide...

The radical response to conservative heritage tours and banal day-tripper guides, Rebel Footprints brings to life the history of social movements in the capital. Transporting readers from well-known landmarks to history-making hidden corners, David...

An enthralling, behind-the-scenes account of how the United States forged its wartime alliance with Britain. Citizens of London brings out of history's shadows the three key American players in London: Edward R. Murrow, the handsome, chain-smoking...

This revised edition contains 26 stories about World War II airmen who came to grief on the Pennine Hills of North Derbyshire. Wartime aviation history is recorded in the crash sites, for each pile of rusting metal represents a chapter in the air war...

Called an uneasy peace, the twenty years between the wars were a time of turmoil - Britain saw a general strike and the worst economic crisis in its history, armed rebellion in Ireland and open revolt in India, a Prime Minister's resignation and the...

At the age of twelve, on hearing that Sir Ross Smith had broken the England-Australia aero record in a Vickers Vimy, Roly Alderson decided that he wanted to fly. Denied a secondary education, orphan Roly was an accomplished engineer by the time he...

The 1950s saw a major shift in the lifestyles of many in Britain. Employment levels rose to new heights, white consumer goods appeared in shop windows for the first time, television replaced the radio in many homes, rock 'n' roll was born, the National...

The fissures that have split the United Kingdom in the last decades have run through Northern Ireland. Since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the fragile peace has been threatened by Brexit, the rise and fall of the D U P and the failure of power-sharing...

Enemy Sighted is the story of the world's first integrated air defence system and how the coalition of Hurricanes and Spitfires, Fighter Command's Operations Rooms and Sector Stations, Radar Stations, Observer Corps posts, anti-aircraft gun and...

In November 1945, two French officers secretly entered the Fuhrerbunker, the air raid shelter near the Chancellery in Berlin. The bunker was the last home of Adolf Hitler, the background of the last months of his life, and the war, where he married Eva...

The much-loved author Montague Rhodes James is best known today for his ghost stories. Their popularity has kept them in print since the first collection was issued in 1931, and they've earned a cult following. But for all this literary success, his...

The acclaimed Penguin Monarchs series: short, fresh, expert accounts of England's rulers - now in paperback'After my death', George V said of his eldest son and heir, 'the boy will ruin himself in 12 months'. From the death of his father in 1936 to the...

In March 1972, four young black men were arrested by a specialist pickpocket squad at Oval Underground Station and charged with theft and assault of police officers. Sentenced to two years in prison, the case seemed straightforward and credible to the...

Collins Key Stage 3 History is an exciting, accessible new series focussed on ensuring that all pupils make clear, measurable progression at Key Stage 3 - whether it is a 2 or a 3 year course. Collins KS3 History is a brand new series, ideal...

'Concise, elegant and lucid ... A very useful primer on the delusions of an English mentality' Guardian What do we get wrong about Britain's history and its place in the world? ...

Archaeology provides a fascinating insight into the lives of the aviators of the First World War. Their descriptions of the sensation of flying in the open cockpits of the primitive warplanes of the day, and the artefacts that have survived from these...

An investigation into farming practices throughout a period of seismic change. WINNER of the British Agricultural History Society's 2022 Thirsk Prize WINNER of the 2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award "This meticulously researched book...