History : Great Britain

Although frequently overlooked between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the War of 1812 tested a rising generation of American leaders; unified the United States with a renewed sense of national purpose; and set the stage for westward expansion from Mackinac Island to the Gulf of Mexico. USS Constitution, ''Old Ironsides,'' proved the mettle of the fledgling American navy; Oliver Hazard Perry hoisted a flag boasting, ''Don't Give Up the Ship''; and Andrew Jackson's ragged force stood behind it's cotton bales at New Orleans and bested the pride of British regulars. Here are the stories of commanding generals such as America's double-dealing James Wilkinson, Great Britain's gallant Sir Isaac Brock, Canada's heroine farm wife Laura Secord, and country doctor William Beanes, whose capture set the stage for Francis Scott Key to write ''The Star-Spangled Banner.'' During the War of 1812, the United States cast off its cloak of colonial adolescence and -- with both humiliating and glorious moments -- found the fire that was to forge a nation. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. more...

Price: $12.99

Shrouded in secrecy until very recently, Colossus was the world's first fully-functioning electronic computer, built during the Second World War and used at Bletchley Park to crack the codes of high-level Nazi communications. This book contains fascinating accounts of Colossus, of code-breaking, and of the extraordinary role played by the staff of Bletchley Park in WWII - including personal recollections by those who designed and built Colossus, recently declassified information, and historical essays considering its impact on the generations of computing technology that followed. - ;At last - the secrets of Bletchley Park's powerful codebreaking computers. This is a history of Colossus, the world's first fully-functioning electronic digital computer. Colossus was used during the Second World War at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where it played an invaluable role cracking enemy codes. Until very recently, much about the Colossus machine was shrouded in secrecy, largely because the codes that were employed remained in use by the British security services until a short time ago. This book has only become. possible due to the recent declassification in the US of wartime documents. With an introductory essay on cryptography and the history of code-breaking by Simon Singh, this book reveals the workings of Colossus and the extraordinary staff at Bletchley Park through personal accounts by those who lived and worked with the computer. Among them is the testimony of Thomas Flowers, who was the architect of Colossus and whose personal account, written shortly before he died, is published here for the first time. Other essays consider the historical importance of this. remarkable machine, and its impact on the generations of computing technology that followed. - ;An engaging book that will be essential reading for historians of twentieth-century technology and warfare. - Nature;formidably detailed - Guardian;compelling compilation - New more...

Price: $33.00

Arguments about the duel in early modern England were widespread. To understand duelling is to understand some crucial issues in the cultural and ideological history of Stuart England, and this major new study will engage the attention of a very wide audience of historians, cultural and literary scholars. more...

Price: $36.00

Nelson continues to fascinate academics as well as the general public. He is still considered one of Britain’s greatest heroes and featured within the top ten of the BBC poll of such figures. But why does Nelson still remain such a prominent figure in the national imagination? more...

Price: $9.99

"Royal Affairs" is a funny, raucous, and delightfully dirty history of 1,000 years of bedroom-hopping secrets and scandals of Britain's royals. more...

Price: $14.00