For millennia, the Nile was the world's most intriguing geographic enigma. Where on earth might lie the source of such a powerful river, From which mountains might drain such an immense quantity of water? And how many Niles were there? Roman legionnaires, Portuguese Jesuits, Scots, and Frenchmen all tried in vain to reveal the great river's secret; all were defeated by impassable swamps or diverted along dead-end branches. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century - almost 400 years after the discovery of America - that the mystery was resolved, thanks to the efforts of the British explorers Sir Richard Burton, John Hanning Speke, James Augustus Grant, and Samuel White Baker.

The Discovery of the Nile tells their stories and those of all the other adventurers who tackled the secret of the source. It also recounts the gradual exploration of the course of the river and its tributaries, from the ancient Egyptians to the Napoleonic conquest, from the British expedition to Abyssinia to the Egyptian invasion of Sudan, from the slave and ivory trades to the epic death of General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, from the stories of the stranded white men "rescued" by Henry Morton Stanley after a march of thousands of miles across the Congo, to the re-conquest of the Sudan by the British.

In the days before photography, great events were captured by painters and sketch artists. The Discovery of the Nile contains more than 1500 images, from the ancient Egyptians' own portrayals of their river through European maps of the medieval, Renaissance, and Enlightenment eras. Later on, artists who accompanied the search teams and military campaigns produced dramatic scenes of battles, paintings of the African cultures they encountered, architectural renderings of pyramids and temples along the river's banks, botanical/zoological illustrations of indigenous flora and fauna, and illustrative surveys of pharaonic riches uncovered - all of which are magnificently reproduced herein. Indeed, the whole history of man's relationship with this most singular river comes vibrantly alive in The Discovery of the Nile.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~10-1/4" by ~14-3/8" (portrait); ~1-1/4" thick; 352 pages, no tears or folds; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

This book is intended neither as a biography of Oliver Cromwell nor as a history of the Civil War - many such works are already widely available. Instead, The Cromwellian Gazetteer provides for the first time a thorough guide to Cromwellian and Civil War sites throughout Britain and Ireland, furnishing a topographical rather than a narrative history of the period 1642-60.

County by county the work explores the sites and buildings associated with the Parliamentary cause during the Civil War and Commonwealth. It covers the scenes of military conflict - battlefields, castles, fortified houses and churches, defended and besieged towns and cities - as well as other locations connected with the leading Parliamentary soldiers, politicians, clerics and artists of the period. Where possible, the emphasis is on Cromwell, and sites connected with Oliver and his family have been given particular prominence.

No book of this nature could claim to be totally comprehensive - to chart every skirmish fought or every building fortified and defended would, indeed, be an almost impossible task. However, The Cromwellian Gazetteer does include all important locations, together with lesser sites which still, bear evidence of their Civil War and Commonwealth associations in a way that has never been tackled before.

An itinerary of Oliver Cromwell 1640-58 appears as an appendix to the gazetteer; it includes only the more reliable records of Cromwell's travels, principally those contained within his own letters. There is also a detailed genealogy of the Cromwells from the sixteenth to the early nineteenth century. The work is richly illustrated with modern photographs, seventeenth-century portraits and engravings and a series of specially drawn maps, and will be an indispensable companion for tourists, travellers and historians.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~7-5/8" by ~10" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 241 pages, no tears or folds; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

The legends of King Arthur, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table have held readers spellbound for some eight hundred years, while attempts to identify the exact locations of the battles Arthur fought, the places he lived and his supposed burial site have captured people's imagination for almost as long.

Exploring King Arthur's Britain is a photographic odyssey that perfectly captures the drama and romance of the many places with which King Arthur is associated. Informative captions provide a fascinating introduction to some of the greatest myths and legends of European literature.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~8-7/8" by ~11-3/8" portrait); ~1/2" thick; 96 pages, no tears or folds; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

Published to coincide with a major conference to be held in London by English Heritage, England's World Heritage is a stunning photographic record of the eleven most spectacular historic sites in England. From the ancient wonders of Stonehenge and Avebury, via the Roman engineering miracle of Hadrian's Wall and the major Christian sites of Canterbury, Durham and Westminster Abbey to the grand architectural masterpieces of Blenheim Palace and the City of Bath, the book charts the cultural and historic significance of England's most important heritage sites.

The ten World Heritage Sites of England have been specially photographed by John Hedgecoe and are accompanied by their fascinating stories describing each site's special importance and place in England's history. Also included are the majestic treasures of Maritime Greenwich, currently awaiting inscription by UNESCO as England's eleventh World Heritage Site.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~8-5/8" by ~11-3/8" portrait); ~1/2" thick; 96 pages, no tears or folds; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

‘Essential reading for anyone working on the late Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods ... a valuable addition to the corpus of material on British history in the eleventh century.’ - DR. BILL AIRD, UNIVERSITY OF WALES, CARDIFF

King Harold Godwineson (c. 1022-66) is one of history's shadowy figures, known mainly for his defeat and death at the battle of Hastings. His true status and achievements have been overshadowed by the events of October 1066 and by the bias imposed by the Norman victory. In reality, he deserves to be recalled as one of England's greatest rulers. Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King sets out to correct this distorted image by presenting Harold's life in its proper context, offering the first full-length critical study of his career in the years leading up to 1066.

The book begins with an account of how Harold's father, Earl Godwine, rose to power amidst the confusion of Cnut's conquest of England and how he managed to retain that power despite a period of exile following a rebellion against Edward the Confessor in 1051-2. Like his father, Harold rose to power through royal service, successfully overcoming the problems arising from his father's rebellion to secure a position of power and influence as first deputy to the king. The childless Edward increasingly relied on Harold's diplomatic and military skills in establishing his rule, helping to secure the succession in the person of Edgar Atheling, putting down a long-standing threat from Gruffydd of Wales, and convincing the king to exile his own brother Tosti in the wider interests of the realm.

Harold's reward came when, in the face of the threat from William of Normandy, Edward designated Harold as his successor rather than Edgar. The famously short reign of King Harold (nine months and nine days) was remarkably eventful: a series of attacks by his bitter and vengeful brother and two full-scale invasions, from Norway and Normandy. Any of these might have overwhelmed a lesser ruler, but Harold overcame all but the last of them, and richly merits this reassessment of his place in history.

Ian Walker presents a carefully researched critique of the sources for our knowledge of Harold, reconciling the distortions in the divergent 'English' and 'Norman' accounts available to modern commentators, allowing the reader to make a realistic assessment of Harold and his rival William and in the process enhancing our view of both.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~7" by ~10" (portrait); ~7/8" thick; 258 pages; no tears or folds in pages; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

This search for the real King Arthur, behind Dark Age and medieval legend, is a fascinating piece of historical, archaeological and scientific detective work. Although there is a romantic popular image of Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, it has long been believed that the figure behind the legendary character was a resistance leader of the British against the threat of Saxon domination. Dr Cummins goes further, tracing the legend back to an earlier Bronze Age prototype for Arthur, who may be linked with the Wessex Culture, and Stonehenge in particular.

The suggestion that a limited amount of genuine historical tradition about people and events in Bronze Age Britain has survived, heavily disguised, in classical and medieval sources, is unique. Dr Cummins's closely argued text is, however, coherent and convincing. His use of sources, such as the work of the much maligned twelfth-century historian Geoffrey of Monmouth, who links Arthur with Utherpendragon, Ambrosius, Merlin and Vortigern, throws new light on King Arthur, Stonehenge and the Bronze Age in general.

Not only of interest to archaeologists and historians, but also to anyone who has ever been fascinated by the legend of King Arthur, this exciting and thought-provoking new book indicates that what happened in the second millennium BC at Stonehenge was of such intensity that its imprint was left on folk memory and preserved in oral tradition for over two thousand years - and even until today.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~7" by ~9-7/8" (portrait); ~5/8" thick; 195 pages; no tears or folds in pages; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

Hong Kong, the last great imperial possession, returns to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 after over 150 years of British rule. Ceded to Victorian Britain by the Celestial Empire in 1842 - after the first violent encounter between East and West - this "borrowed place" has grown from sleepy fishing village to skyscraper-encrusted financial center. Now, as its borrowed time runs out, it is the focus of worldly attention as never before.

In this absorbing chronicle, Frank Welsh encompasses the majestic sweep and extraordinary history of this insular possession. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources - including both official documents and firsthand accounts - he masterfully recreates Hong Kong's historical panorama. He explores the underlying politics of this spoil of empire, from early court intrigues to current negotiations. Here is the ambition, gentility, and snobbery of early colonial life, as well as its seamy underside - a world of drugs, sex, and slavery. Here, too, are the great personalities who laid Hong Kong's foundations: governors competent and incompetent, and the first European tai-pans, Dent, Jardine, and Matheson, whose determination opened up new avenues for international trade.

A Borrowed Place superbly illustrates the enduringly idiosyncratic nature of Hong Kong. Although at the threshold of revolutionary China - and even expanding to the mainland (prompting today's debates) - Hong Kong has continued to enjoy a tranquillity unparalleled elsewhere in the region. At the same time, it has been a haven for both exiled agitators and agile entrepreneurs. Occupation in 1941 by the Japanese shattered colonial complacency, but Hong Kong bounced inimitably back, an undemocratic society enjoying freedoms and benefits surpassing those of many countries with representative governments.

Hong Kong's spectacular postwar growth has made it the ultimate crossroad of East and West. Now, many question its future as it faces an enforced return to Chinese sovereignty. Frank Welsh's authoritative account enables us to understand Hong Kong's present through its epic history: the tale of an island that has always provoked controversy, and always had to look out for itself.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~6-3/8" by ~9-3/8" (portrait); ~1-3/4" thick; 624 pages; no tears or folds in pages; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.

Russia has had an extraordinary history in the twentieth century. As the first communist society, the USSR was both an admired model and an object of fear and hatred to the rest of the world.

How are we to make sense of this history? A History of Twentieth-Century Russia treats the years from 1917 to 1991 as a single period and analyzes the peculiar mixture of political, economic, and social ingredients that made up the Soviet formula. Under a succession of leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev, various methods were used to conserve and strengthen this compound. At times the emphasis was upon shaking up the ingredients, at others upon stabilization. All this occurred against a background of dictatorship, civil war, forcible industrialization, terror, world war, and the postwar arms race. Communist ideas and practices never fully pervaded the society of the USSR. Yet an impact was made and, as this book expertly documents, Russia since 1991 has encountered difficulties in completely eradicating the legacy of communism.

A History of Twentieth-Century Russia is the first work to use the mass of material that has become available in the documentary collections, memoirs, and archives over the past decade. It is an extraordinarily lucid, masterful account of the most complex and turbulent period in Russia's long history.

Hard-back book measures roughly ~6-3/8" by ~9-1/2" (portrait); ~2-1/4" thick; 654 pages; no tears or folds in pages; binding fully intact. Book and dust-jacket are in very-fine "NEW" condition.