Pan Books The History of England. Volume IV. Revolution Акройд Питер

Написав увлекательные биографии Лондона и его великой реки Темзы, Питер Экройд теперь обращается к самой Англии. Этот первый том из шести рассказывает нам о времени первого заселения Англии, более 15 000 лет назад, и о смерти в 1509 году первого монарха династии Тюдоров, Генриха VII. В "Фундаменте" Экройд переносит нас из неолитической Англии, которую мы можем увидеть лишь в самых соблазнительных эпизодах - стремя, найденное в могиле, несколько семян на дне миски, - в длительный период римского владычества; от темных веков, когда в Англию непрерывно вторгались англы, саксы и юты, до двойной славы средневековой Англии - ее великих церквей и монастырей и ее общего права. Обладая необычайным мастерством воссоздавать время и место, он рассказывает знакомую историю о короле, сменяющем короля, богатой прозой, с глубоким пониманием и некоторыми удивительными подробностями

The penultimate volume of Peter Ackroyd’s masterful History of England series, Dominion begins in 1815 as national glory following the Battle of Waterloo gives way to post-war depression, spanning the last years of the Regency to the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901. In it, Ackroyd takes us from the accession of the profligate George IV whose government was steered by Lord Liverpool, who was firmly set against reform, to the reign of his brother, William IV, the 'Sailor King', whose reign saw the modernization of the political system and the abolition of slavery. But it was the accession of Queen Victoria, aged only eighteen, that sparked an era of enormous innovation. Technological progress – from steam railways to the first telegram – swept the nation and the finest inventions were showcased at the first Great Exhibition in 1851

Этот том - триумфальное завершение «Истории Англии» Питера Экройда. В нем Экройд переносит читателей с конца Англо-бурской войны и воцарения Эдуарда VII до конца двадцатого века, когда его правнучка Елизавета II находилась на троне почти пять десятилетий. Столетие огромных перемен, включающее в себя две мировые войны, четырех монархов (Эдуарда VII, Георга V, Георга VI и Королеву), упадок аристократии и подъем Лейбористской партии, избирательное право женщин, рождение Национальной службы здравоохранения, марш пригородов и зачистка трущоб. Это был период, который ознаменовался работой Группы Блумсберри и Т.С. Элиота, Кингсли Эмиса и Филипа Ларкина, время конца послевоенного спада и техниколора 1960-х годов, свободной любви и панк-рока, от Тэтчер до Блэра

The Secrets of the Lake is a gripping wartime novel, by the author of The Silk Weaver, Liz Trenow • The war may be over, but for Molly life is still in turmoil. Uprooted from London after the death of her mother, Molly, her father and younger brother Jimmy are starting again in a quiet village in the countryside of Colchester. As summer sets in, the heat is almost as oppressive as the village gossip. Molly dreams of becoming a journalist, finding a voice in the world, but most of the time must act as Jimmy's carer. At just ten years old he is Molly's shadow, following her around the village as she falls under the spell of local boy Kit. Kit is clever, funny and a natural-born rebel. Rowing on the waters of the lake with him becomes Molly's escape from domestic duty

The Redemption of Philip Thane is Bridgerton meets Groundhog Day in this rip-roaring regency romantic comedy for fans of Julia Quinn, Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer • How many times can a rake get it wrong... before he becomes Mr Right? • Philip Thane - rogue, rake, and scoundrel extraordinaire - hadn't wanted to show up in the little town of Whittlesey to give a speech. He also didn't expect to somehow find himself stuck in time, waking up every morning to live exactly the same day over and over again • On the plus side, it's giving him time to further his acquaintance with the delightful Miss Margaret Allen, in town to research the book she's writing. And Philip has no doubt she'll fall starry-eyed into his arms, just like so many other ladies of the ton have done before

From the number one bestselling author, Peter James, comes The Secret of Cold Hill. The spine-chilling follow-up to The House on Cold Hill. Now a smash-hit stage play • Cold Hill House has been razed to the ground by fire, replaced with a development of ultra-modern homes. Gone with the flames are the violent memories of the house's history, and a new era has begun • Although much of Cold Hill Park is still a construction site, the first two families move into their new houses. For Jason and Emily Danes, this is their forever home, and for Maurice and Claudette Penze-Weedell, it's the perfect place to live out retirement. Despite the ever present rumble of cement mixers and diggers, Cold Hill Park appears to be the ideal place to live. But looks are deceptive and it's only a matter of days before both couples start to feel they are not alone in their new homes

Set against the backdrop of war, revolution, and regicide, and moving from London to Venice, Mantua, Madrid, Paris and the Low Countries, Jerry Brotton's colourful and critically acclaimed book, The Sale of the Late King's Goods, explores the formation and dispersal of King Charles I's art collection. Following a remarkable and unprecedented Parliamentary Act for 'The sale of the late king's goods', Cromwell's republican regime sold off nearly 2,000 paintings, tapestries, statues and drawings in an attempt to settle the dead king's enormous debts and raise money for the Commonwealth's military forces • Brotton recreates the extraordinary circumstances of this sale, in which for the first time ordinary working people were able to handle and own works by the great masters

Humanity welcomed the Olyix and their utopian technology. But mankind was tricked. Now these visitors are extracting a terrible price. For two years, the Olyix have laid siege to Earth, harvesting its people for their god. One by one, cities are falling to their devastating weaponry. And while millions have fled to seek refuge in space, others continue to fight an apparently unwinnable war. As Earth's defeat draws near, a team attempts to infiltrate the Salvation of Life - the Olyix's arkship. If it succeeds, those chosen will travel to a hidden enclave thousands of light years away. Once there, they must signal its location to future generations, to bring the battle to the enemy. Maybe allies scattered throughout space and time can join forces

In The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr paints a fascinating portrait of life in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century as the country recovered from the grand wreckage of the British Empire • Between the death of Queen Victoria and the end of the Second World War, the nation was shaken by war and peace. The two wars were the worst we had ever known and the episodes of peace among the most turbulent and surprising. As the political forum moved from Edwardian smoking rooms to an increasingly democratic Westminster, the people of Britain experimented with extreme ideas as they struggled to answer the question 'How should we live?' Socialism? Fascism? Feminism? Meanwhile, fads such as eugenics, vegetarianism and nudism were gripping the nation, while the popularity of the music hall soared

After a decade of making documentaries about offbeat characters on the fringes of US society, Louis had the urge to return to America and track down the people who most fascinated him. It would be a reunion tour, but this time without the cameras and the sense of performance being filmed inevitably brings. It would allow him to get closer to people, to discover what really motivated them and what had happened to the assorted dreamers, outlaws and eccentrics since he last saw them • On a journey that took him from the porn sets of Los Angeles to the gangsta rappers of Memphis, from a convention of UFO contactees in Arizona to Northern Idaho for a festive get-together of neo-Nazis, he asked what 'weird people' have to tell us about our own secret natures

For fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Joanna Nadin's The Talk of Pram Town tells a story about mothers, daughters and second chances… • 'Beautifully written and deliciously clever - the characters will stay with you for a long time and you'll find joy on every page.' - Matson Taylor, author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick, The Miseducation of Evie Epworth • It's 1981. Eleven-year-old Sadie adores her beautiful and vibrant mother, Connie, whose dreams of making it big as a singer fill their tiny house in Leeds. It's always been just the two of them. Until the unthinkable happens • Jean hasn't seen her good-for-nothing daughter Connie since she ran away from the family home in Harlow - or Pram Town as its inhabitants affectionately call it - aged seventeen and pregnant

July 2007. A letter arrives on Inspector Barbarotti's doorstep detailing a murder that is about to take place in his quiet Swedish town. By the time the police track down the subject of the letter, he is already dead • So when a second letter arrives, then a third, and a fourth, it's a game of cat and mouse to stop the killer before he can make good on all of his promises • Meanwhile, an anonymous diary is unearthed depicting the incidents of a two week holiday in France five years earlier, and it doesn't take Barbarotti long to realize the people populating the diary are the ones whose lives are now in the balance