Guest Review: Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens By David Mitchell

Think you know your kings and queens? Think again.

In UNRULY, David Mitchell explores how England's monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects' destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits.

Taking us right back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn't exist), David tells the founding story of post-Roman England right up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It's a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, excessive beheadings, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and at least one total Cnut, as the population evolved from having their crops nicked by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king.

How this happened, who it happened to and why it matters in modern Britain are all questions David answers with brilliance, wit and the full erudition of a man who once studied history - and won't let it off the hook for the mess it's made.

Review: David Mitchell is a comedian, actor and writer who also studied history at Cambridge University. This book is his version of the history, and his interpretation of the personality, of the monarchs that ruled the land equating roughly to present day England from the period following the withdrawal of the Romans in the 5th century up to the end of the Tudor dynasty at the beginning of the 17th century.

Most of England from AD 43 had been part of the Roman Empire, and was known as the province of Britannia. Following the withdrawal of the Romans, tribes from north-western Europe, such as Angles, Saxons and Jutes, began to settle the land and rule specific regions. The leaders of these regions were usually the ones with the biggest armies who were prepared to use them in order to claim allegiance from their neighbours. These leaders came to be referred to as kings and England was divided into various kingdoms which came to dominate at different times, with the kingdom of Wessex eventually becoming dominant. Eventually, in the 10th century, one of their kings Athelstan styled himself Rex Anglorum, or King of the English. This was notwithstanding the fact that another series of invaders, the Vikings, had taken over large parts of the north of England, and indeed in subsequent years Anglo-Saxons and Vikings vied for the kingdom of England. Eventually, the last Anglo-Saxon king was replaced as a result of an invasion by Normans. From that point on, monarchs of England were given regnal numbers.

David Mitchell has provided a comprehensive and humorous account of the kings and queens of the various dynasties that ruled England during the twelve centuries described in the book. Although nominally following the line of the eldest male, he describes how quite often the succession was a result of an individual with even a slight claim seizing power by the time-honoured method of imprisoning or killing (sometimes both) rival claimants. Family trees of the various dynasties are provided, showing just how interrelated the royal families were. The introduction of various statutory institutions, such as Magna Carta and parliament, in an attempt to curb the power of the monarch are also described. The book contains illustrations of several of the monarchs, and there is a section at the end with suggestions for further reading.

David Mitchell, in the acknowledgements section, states that he wanted to write a book about kings and queens that was both funny and fascinating. In this, I feel that he has succeeded. I learnt a lot, particularly about the period before the Norman conquest because, for me, the teaching of history, as well as regnal numbering, began at this point. I also found the book extremely funny, with many laugh out loud moments. I liked the way the author used comparisons between historical figures and events with contemporary situations. I should add a warning that, for a book on history, there is a lot of strong language. As an entertaining, if sometimes irreverent, and highly informative read, I would thoroughly recommend this book.

To order your copy, just click here!

Guest Review: Hurricane: The Plane that Won the War By Jacky Hyams

Britain’s first-ever wartime fighter plane, the Hawker Hurricane, shot down more enemy planes than any other fighter. It was the true aviation hero of the Battle of Britain.

Often eclipsed by the legend and aerial heroics of the Spitfire, the Hurricane was the authentic warhorse of aviation history. Stable, rugged, less expensive to build – and far more easily repaired and maintained than the Spitfire – the ‘Hurri’ as it was affectionately known, proved to be the most fearsome fighter plane in aerial combat – at a time when Britain’s survival was at stake like never before.

In 1940 the Hurricane made its mark: more than half of the 1,200 German aircraft that were shot down in the war were taken down by Hurricanes. At the time, the RAF could call on 32 squadrons of Hurricanes and 19 Spitfires: the Hurricane was, in fact, the dominant British fighter plane, developing a reputation as a plane that could take more than a few hits from the enemy – and continue to fly. The Spit was the aviation thoroughbred, superb until damaged. The Hurri was much stronger. The skilled airmen came from all over the world; one of them from RAF 80 Squadron would later become a very famous author – Roald Dahl.

Using documents, letters and first-hand accounts, this is the historic untold story of the Hawker Hurricane and the lives of the men and women who flew, helped design and construct, fit and worked behind the scenes of the ‘Hurri’, all contributing in ways big and small, to its outstanding success as a legend of the Second World War.

Review: This is a book about the Hawker Hurricane, a British fighter aeroplane that saw service during the Second World War. The first prototype flew in 1935 and the aeroplane first entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the end of 1937. It served with distinction throughout the Second World War (1939-1945) in all the major theatres of this conflict, although it was becoming obsolete and replaced with more modern designs towards the end of the war. Its finest hour was in the Battle of Britain during the summer and early autumn of 1940. Although often overshadowed by the more glamorous Supermarine Spitfire, the Hurricane’s design was simpler (parts of it were fabric-covered), meaning that it could be built more quickly and was easier to repair following damage. During the Battle of Britain, 32 squadrons of Hurricanes were available to the RAF, compared to 19 squadrons of Spitfires, and Hurricanes shot down more enemy aircraft than did Spitfires. In fact, the highest scoring squadron during the battle was 303 Squadron, a Polish squadron that flew Hurricanes.

The author has set out to redress this imbalance in the reputation of the Hurricane. By using first-hand accounts, she has provided personal histories of the men, and women, who designed, built, flew and maintained the aeroplane. In a comprehensive history of this aeroplane, its wartime roles in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Far East are described. However, the text contained many factual errors. She describes SS troops in Germany prior to the outbreak of war as wearing khaki uniforms, whereas it was the SA (Sturmabteilung), the main paramilitary “enforcers” during Hitler’s rise and early years in power, that wore khaki uniforms, hence their nickname of “brownshirts”. She has converted a pilot’s pre-decimal daily pay of 11 shillings and 9 old pence to 40 pence in decimal currency, whereas the correct conversion is 59 pence. In addition, throughout the book, the designation of the German fighter aeroplane Messerschmitt 109 alternates between Bf 109 and Me 109. I also thought that some of the accounts could have been enhanced by the inclusion of more detail. She describes how the Polish 303 Squadron became operational on 31 August 1940. However, the circumstances as to how this came about are omitted. On the previous day during a training flight, one of the pilots Ludwik Paszkiewicz broke formation and shot down an enemy aircraft. His squadron commander officially reprimanded him but privately congratulated him and recommended the squadron become operational. Similarly, in the account of the battle for Malta, the arrival of naval supply convoys in November and December 1942 are described, but the earlier and most famous convoy, Operation Pedestal in August of that year is not mentioned.

I found the book to be a fairly comprehensive history of this famous, if unglamorous, fighter aircraft. However, I feel that greater attention to detail and more rigorous proofreading, together with inclusion of more detail could have elevated a reasonably good book into a very good book.

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: Mosquito By Rowland White

Built of lightweight wood, powered by two growling Rolls-Royce Merlin engines, impossibly aerodynamic, headspinningly fast and armed to the teeth, the de Havilland Mosquito was the war-winning wonder that should never have existed: the aircraft the RAF didn't think it wanted then couldn't do without.

Flying on operations barely eighteen months after a single prototype was ordered off the drawing board, it was the answer to its pilots' prayers: a stunningly versatile warplane capable of leaving the Luftwaffe in its wake to attack when and where the enemy was least expecting it.

Excelling as a spyplane, night-fighter and pathfinder for Bomber Command's heavies the Mossie's reputation was cemented by a series of daredevil bombing raids across occupied Europe, including on Berlin itself, where only surprise, speed and precision could ensure success.

So when Churchill's top secret Special Operations Executive needed to destroy the Gestapo HQ in the centre of downtown Copenhagen to prevent a devastating Nazi last stand that might prolong the war for many months, there was only one machine for the job - the Mosquito.

This is the story of that legendary aircraft told through that one impossible mission. 

Review: I was very interested to read this book about the de Havilland Mosquito, a twin-engined fighter-bomber aeroplane since the prototype was developed at a country house not very far from where my parents used to live. It made its maiden flight towards the end of 1940 and entered operational service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1941. Its construction was unusual in that, to avoid excessive use of essential materials such as aluminium and steel, it was built mainly of wood. This earned it the nickname of the “Wooden Wonder”, and meant that its lightweight construction gave it incredible speed.

Although ostensibly a book about the development and operational deployment of the Mosquito during the Second World War, the book is also an account of the struggles of the Danish Resistance following the Nazi occupation of their country in 1940. The Resistance was supported by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). The Mosquito aircraft fulfilled many roles for the RAF. In addition, Mosquitoes were flown by the civil airline British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to carry high value cargo, diplomatic material and, sometimes, important passengers from neutral countries over enemy-controlled airspace, where its ability to fly at high speed at altitude enabled it to avoid enemy interception. Probably the most important of these routes was from neutral Sweden to Scotland, overflying occupied Norway en route. However, one of the most famous roles of the aeroplane was as a low level bomber in daylight precision raids against discreet targets. Hence, the raid to breach the walls of Amiens Prison in France and attacks against the German Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark are described.

I found this to be a very interesting book about such a famous aeroplane, but I also learnt a great deal about the German occupation of Denmark during the War, much of which I was not aware. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in aviation and the history of the Second World War.

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: Ask a Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know By Greg Jenner

Why is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? How fast was the medieval Chinese post system? How do we know how people sounded in the past? Who invented maths?

Responding to fifty genuine questions from the public, Greg Jenner takes you on an entertaining tour through history from the Stone Age to the Swinging Sixties, revealing the best and most surprising stories, facts and historical characters from the past. From ancient joke books, African empires and the invention of meringues, to mummies, mirrors and menstrual pads - Ask A Historian is a deliciously amusing and informative smorgasbord of historical curiosities.

Review: Greg Jenner is a historian who has been involved in the television series “Horrible Histories”. His aim has always been to make the subject of history accessible to everyone. This book was compiled during the Covid lockdown and is an attempt to give answers to 50 questions that have been posed by the public, either during tours to publicise earlier books or, mostly, via an online questionnaire.

The questions vary from ones about statues in Ancient Greece, via the origins of curry, to the treatment of immigrants of the Windrush generation on their arrival in the UK. As can be seen, the questions posed are extremely wide ranging, and the author does his best to answer them in as succinct and readable way as possible. He also makes a lot of witty remarks, and this is what made the book so entertaining for me. For a book on history, it is reasonably short, at a little over 300 pages. However, the author’s aim, as stated in the introduction, was to make it light and entertaining, and in this I feel that he has succeeded. However, he also hopes that the book will have whetted peoples’ appetites to explore further, and to this end there is an extensive list of recommended reading for the various topics covered.

Overall, this book is an entertaining and accessible overview of the question “why?” regarding an eclectic range of historical topics and, hopefully, will encourage readers to continue asking questions.

To order your copy now, just click here!

Guest Review: Tornado In The Eye of the Storm by John Nichol

 Former Tornado Navigator John Nichol tells the incredible story of the RAF Tornado force during the First Gulf War in 1991; the excitement and the danger, the fear and the losses. It is an extraordinary account of courage and fortitude.

‘We were doing about 620 miles-per-hour, 200 feet above the desert, in total darkness. Everything was running on rails as we approached the target. Then all hell broke loose. I remember the missile being fired at us; I broke left and shouted, “Chaff!”

 ‘All I could see was a flame, like a very large firework, coming towards me. Then there was a huge white flash. I remember an enormous wind and then I was knocked unconscious. My last thoughts were that I was going to die.’

In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein ordered the invasion and occupation of neighbouring Kuwait, setting in motion a chain of events that had unimaginable political, military and personal repercussions, which still reverberate around the globe today.

This is the story of the aircrew at the heart of Operation Desert Storm, almost none of whom had any prior experience of armed combat. It is the story of the Tornado’s missions, of those who did not return - and of the families who watched and waited as one of the most complex conflicts in recent history unfolded live on television. It is a story of untold fear and suffering, and astounding courage in the face of hitherto unimaginable adversity.

Review: In August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. A coalition force was formed to implement United Nations resolutions to restore Kuwait’s sovereignty. The United Kingdom was a member of the coalition and, to this end, aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF), including the Tornado ground-attack aeroplane, were deployed to bases in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The author, John Nichol was a navigator in the Tornado force. He was captured along with his pilot by Iraqi forces when their aircraft was shot down during a bombing raid in January 1991. He has written previously about his experiences during this time, but this book is more about the Tornado and the people who flew and maintained the aeroplanes, together with their families, during and after the conflict.

The Tornado, designed as a low level bomber during the Cold War, entered operational service with the RAF during the 1980s. Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, it was feared that their army could press on into Saudi Arabia and take over their oil wells. The first part of the coalition’s operation, named Desert Shield was to reinforce Saudi Arabia’s defences, to ensure Iraq did not invade, allowing time to build up sufficient forces before liberating Kuwait. The second phase of the operation, named Desert Storm and beginning in January 1991, was the eviction of the Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Prior to ground troops entering Kuwait, the coalition needed to ensure air superiority. The RAF Tornadoes, with their low level capability, were at the forefront of this campaign, attacking air bases in Iraq using their runway-busting munitions. However, these tactics made them vulnerable to ground fire and, during the initial stages of the campaign, a number of aircraft were lost. Once it was established that the threat from Iraq’s Air Force had diminished, the Tornadoes switched their attacks to medium level and later used laser guided bombs.

The book describes the development of the Tornado and its deployment during what is known as the First Gulf War. During the hostilities, six tornadoes were lost over Iraqi-controlled territory. Of their twelve aircrew, seven were captured, whilst five unfortunately did not survive the crashes. The treatment of the prisoners is described, along with the effects of the losses on their colleagues and families. In most cases, the fate of those missing in action was unknown until after the ceasefire. I found these parts of the book, along with the descriptions of the prisoners’ repatriation, very moving. I should also add that the descriptions of the prisoners’ interrogations are fairly harrowing. The book describes briefly what some of the airmen and their families did after the conflict, and also deals with subsequent missions of the Tornado until it was withdrawn from service with the RAF in 2019.

I found the book to be full of interesting detail, as may be expected from someone who was in the thick of the action. I experienced a roller coaster of emotions, from the excitement and fear of a bombing mission under enemy fire, to the devastation caused by armed conflict, and to the emotions experienced by the service personnel and their families.

To order your copy now just click the link: UK or US

Guest Book vs Movie: Operation Mincemeat

April, 1943: a sardine fisherman spots the corpse of a British soldier floating in the sea off the coast of Spain and sets off a train of events that would change the course of the Second World War.

Operation Mincemeat was the most successful wartime deception ever attempted, and the strangest. It hoodwinked the Nazi espionage chiefs, sent German troops hurtling in the wrong direction, and saved thousands of lives by deploying a secret agent who was different, in one crucial respect, from any spy before or since: he was dead. His mission: to convince the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies planned to invade Greece.

This is the true story of the most extraordinary deception ever planned by Churchill's spies: an outrageous lie that travelled from a Whitehall basement all the way to Hitler's desk. 

There have been previous books, and a movie, about the Second World War deception plan known as “Operation Mincemeat”. In 1953, one of the operation’s planners Ewan Montagu published a book entitled “The Man Who Never Was” and in 1956 this was made into a film with the same name. Interestingly, Ewan Montagu had a cameo role in the film as an RAF officer. The latest film, released in the UK earlier this year, is based on Ben Macintyre’s 2010 book “Operation Mincemeat”.

The film follows the book fairly closely, both being an exciting narrative of a what, on the face of it, was an audacious plan that placed much reliance on chance. Because previously classified material had been released by 2010, more details were known about the operation compared to the 1950s book and film when, because of security restrictions in place at that time, many details were glossed over. In particular, the role of decrypts from the codebreakers at Bletchley Park in allowing the planners to tell whether or not the planted information had been discovered by German intelligence is described. The film is also a fitting tribute to the late actor Paul Ritter, appearing in his last film, who died before its release.

There are some differences between the book and the film. The role of the Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming in the detailed planning is greater in the film, and there appear to be quite a few nods to James Bond. The film shows Charles Cholmondeley travelling in the submarine that was used to deposit the dead body off the Spanish coast, whereas in reality he travelled back to London after the body had been delivered to the submarine base in Scotland. Also some of the timescales are compressed in the film. For example, the famous signal to Winston Churchill stating “Mincemeat swallowed…” was sent a month or so prior to the landings in Sicily, and not around the same time, as depicted in the film. However, the compressed timeline, and the sub-plots in the film around some of the characters’ private lives do, I feel, add to the tension. As may be expected, the book is able to go into greater detail about many of the individuals involved in the operation, in particular, the agents and diplomats active in Spain at the time. I found the book and the film to be equally exciting and would recommend both. I don’t think it matters whether the book is read or the film is watched first.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Operation Mincemeat By Ben Macintyre

 April, 1943: a sardine fisherman spots the corpse of a British soldier floating in the sea off the coast of Spain and sets off a train of events that would change the course of the Second World War.

Operation Mincemeat was the most successful wartime deception ever attempted, and the strangest. It hoodwinked the Nazi espionage chiefs, sent German troops hurtling in the wrong direction, and saved thousands of lives by deploying a secret agent who was different, in one crucial respect, from any spy before or since: he was dead. His mission: to convince the Germans that instead of attacking Sicily, the Allied armies planned to invade Greece.

This is the true story of the most extraordinary deception ever planned by Churchill's spies: an outrageous lie that travelled from a Whitehall basement all the way to Hitler's desk.

Review: By the end of 1942 during the Second World War, the Allies had achieved success in North Africa. Although the British and Americans believed a major invasion of Northern France would not be possible until 1944, an amphibious landing in Southern Europe in 1943 was feasible. The island of Sicily was the obvious target providing a springboard for the invasion of mainland Italy. However, because it was the obvious target, it would also be obvious to the Axis forces. A deception plan was needed to try to divert attention away from Sicily.

This book is the true story of an extraordinary operation, codenamed “Operation Mincemeat” and conceived as part of the overall deception strategy. It resulted from one of the suggestions in a memorandum, known as the “Trout Memo”, drawn up at the beginning of the War by the Director of Naval Intelligence Rear Admiral John Godfrey, with the help of his assistant Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, who would later go on to write the James Bond books. Operation Mincemeat was placed under the charge of intelligence officers Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu and Flight Lieutenant Charles Cholmondeley. It involved placing correspondence to Allied commanders in North Africa detailing forthcoming plans for invasions in Greece and Sardinia, with a diversionary attack on Sicily, on a dead body which would be deposited just off the Southern coast of Spain. The intention was the body, made to appear as a military courier, would be washed ashore, and the Spanish authorities, some of whom were sympathetic to Germany, would allow German intelligence access to the documents, before returning them to the British authorities. It was hoped that this would encourage the Axis forces to spread their defences thinly across a wide area of the North Mediterranean coast, necessitating a weakening of Sicily’s defences.

In the 1950s, and at the instigation of the government, Ewen Montagu wrote a book, “The Man Who Never Was”, describing the operation. However, because of security restrictions at the time, many details were glossed over. Ben Macintyre’s book was published in 2010 when previously classified material had been released. It describes the lengths to which Montagu and Cholmondeley went to obtain a corpse, invent a new persona for it as a Royal Marines officer, ensure that authentic-looking documents were planted on it, and arrange for a submarine to release it just off the Spanish coast. There then followed a tense wait to see: if the body was picked up; if the authorities believed it was that of a drowned British officer; if copies of the documents found their way into the hands of German intelligence and, if so, were they believed to be genuine; and if the subsequent invasion of Sicily in July 1943 was successful.

Operation Mincemeat was a plan so audacious that people forget that it is a true story. Ben Macintyre’s book provides a detailed account of the planning and execution of the operation, describing the numerous characters involved. I found it really captured the excitement of the operation, as the plan was conceived, put into practice and the instigators waited to see if it achieved its objectives. I would recommend it to anyone interested in wartime intelligence operations, or indeed anyone who likes a good adventure story featuring a number of eccentric characters. A television documentary based on the book was shown later in the same year of its publication. A feature film, also based on the book, and which I also recommend, was released in the UK in 2022.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Lancaster: The Forging of a Very British Legend By John Nichol

'The Avro Lancaster is an aviation icon; revered, romanticised, loved. Without her, and the bravery of those who flew her, the freedom we enjoy today would not exist.'

Sir Arthur Harris, the controversial chief of Royal Air Force Bomber Command, described the Lancaster as his 'shining sword' and the 'greatest single factor in winning the war'. RAF bomber squadrons carried out offensive operations from the first day of the Second World War until the very last, more than five and a half years later. They flew nearly 300,000 sorties and dropped around a million tons of explosives, as well as life-saving supplies. Over 10,000 of their aircraft never returned. Of the 7,377 Lancasters built during the conflict, more than half were lost to enemy action or training accidents.

The human cost was staggering. Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command, over 55,000 were killed and another 8,400 were wounded. Some 10,000 survived being shot down, only to become prisoners of war. In simple, brutal terms, Harris's aircrew had only a 40 per cent chance of surviving the war unscathed.

Former RAF Tornado Navigator, Gulf War veteran and bestselling author John Nichol now tells the inspiring and moving story of this legendary aircraft that took the fight deep into the heart of Nazi Germany.

Review: This is a book about the Avro Lancaster, the bomber that flew with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War, and the people that crewed and maintained this iconic aeroplane. The author, John Nichol is a former RAF navigator who flew bombing missions himself during the Gulf War in 1991.

The book covers the aircraft’s development and its subsequent deployment from the end of 1941 onwards with Bomber Command, taking the fight to the enemy’s territory. Like his earlier book about the Spitfire, a lot of the focus is on people and there are numerous stories of those who flew in the aircraft, mostly based on interviews with the ever-diminishing survivors of the war. Hence, there are accounts not just of operational sorties, but of those who survived after their aircraft was shot down. The book is illustrated with numerous photographs in black and white and in colour. There is a bibliography at the end.

The book is an interesting account of this famous aeroplane and the people who flew in it. However, the loss rate among the aircrew was very high (greater than that of soldiers in the First World War), so many of the stories are very poignant. Like the author’s previous book, I found the writing style episodic, with many apparently unconnected short paragraphs, and sometimes the timeline was difficult to follow. Additionally, the method of quoting the references could have been better, with each chapter having its own list, resulting in thirteen pages of references and notes. If each reference had been assigned its own unique number throughout the whole book, there could have been a single list instead of eighteen separate lists.

Overall, however, I found the book to be a fascinating read with many personal stories of heroism and tragedy. There is also an interesting discussion of the RAF’s bombing campaign and the controversy surrounding it in the post-war years.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Operation Pedestal: The Fleet that Battled to Malta 1942 By Max Hastings

In August 1942, beleaguered Malta was within weeks of surrender to the Axis, because its 300,000 people could no longer be fed. Churchill made a personal decision that at all costs, the ‘island fortress’ must be saved. This was not merely a matter of strategy, but of national prestige, when Britain’s fortunes and morale had fallen to their lowest ebb.

The largest fleet the Royal Navy committed to any operation of the western war was assembled to escort fourteen fast merchantmen across a thousand of miles of sea defended by six hundred German and Italian aircraft, together with packs of U-boats and torpedo craft. The Mediterranean battles that ensued between 11 and 15 August were the most brutal of Britain’s war at sea, embracing four aircraft-carriers, two battleships, seven cruisers, scores of destroyers and smaller craft. The losses were appalling: defeat seemed to beckon.

This is the saga Max Hastings unfolds in his first full length narrative of the Royal Navy, which he believes was the most successful of Britain’s wartime services. As always, he blends the ‘big picture’ of statesmen and admirals with human stories of German U-boat men, Italian torpedo-plane crews, Hurricane pilots, destroyer and merchant-ship captains, ordinary but extraordinary seamen.

Operation Pedestal describes catastrophic ship sinkings, including that of the aircraft-carrier Eagle, together with struggles to rescue survivors and salvage stricken ships. Most moving of all is the story of the tanker Ohio, indispensable to Malta’s survival, victim of countless Axis attacks. In the last days of the battle, the ravaged hulk was kept under way only by two destroyers, lashed to her sides. Max Hastings describes this as one of the most extraordinary tales he has ever recounted. Until the very last hours, no participant on either side could tell what would be the outcome of an epic of wartime suspense and courage.

Review: The island of Malta lies in the Mediterranean Sea approximately 60 miles south of the Italian island of Sicily. Its strategic importance during World War II stemmed from the fact that it was a staging post lying roughly halfway between the Royal Navy’s Western Mediterranean Fleet based in Gibraltar and Eastern Mediterranean Fleet based at Alexandria in Egypt. It was also an important base from which air and submarine attacks on Axis shipping could be mounted. Following Italy’s entry into the War on the Axis side in June 1940, Malta’s proximity to Italy left it vulnerable to blockade and aerial bombardment. By the summer of 1942, the situation was looking very bleak since, notwithstanding some limited supplies reaching the island, food and fuel supplies for the inhabitants and the garrison were running out. Hence, Winston Churchill ordered a convoy of 14 merchant ships with naval warship escorts to make the voyage from Gibraltar to Malta to relieve the situation.

This book is the account of that convoy, named Operation Pedestal, and its epic voyage. The merchant vessels and their escort assembled in the Firth of Clyde. During the passage to Gibraltar, they were joined by more Royal Navy ships, so that by the time they entered the Mediterranean during the night of 9/10th August 1942, there were up to 50 navy escorts comprising four aircraft carriers, two battleships, together with cruisers and destroyers. This, the most heavily escorted convoy of the war, was effectively a fleet. Over the course of the next few days, it ran the gauntlet of repeated air, submarine and motor torpedo boat attacks from German and Italian forces as it sailed towards Malta.

The author has painted a vivid picture of this operation, which includes accounts of individuals, ranging from statesmen and commanders to sailors and airmen, from both sides of the conflict. The book is a fitting tribute to the men of the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and US Mercantile Marine (two of the merchant vessels were American with American crews; a third American vessel had a British crew) who undertook such a dangerous mission. Nine of the merchant ships and four of the navy ships were lost. On 13th August, three of the merchant ships sailed into Malta’s Grand Harbour. A further merchant vessel, that had been slowed by a torpedo hit, reached Malta the following day. The most important of the merchant ships, the tanker “Ohio” carrying fuel, had been torpedoed and bombed. With its engines out of action, two navy destroyers were lashed to its sides and it finally entered Grand Harbour on 15th August. Although some of it cargo had been lost, the majority of its precious fuel was offloaded. The supplies delivered by the convoy enabled Malta to hold out for longer until Allied successes in North Africa later in 1942 allowed air cover for further convoys to be provided.

Max Hastings assesses the value of the convoy, arguing that it was not so much the strategic value of Malta that was important as the morale boosting effect of the operation. It demonstrated the willingness of the United Kingdom to fight on after a number of military reverses earlier in 1942.

I found the book to be a detailed and enthralling account of this hazardous mission. There are some maps included, although I feel that more detailed maps would have been an improvement. There are also a number of black and white photographs. However, I should add a word of caution since, although some of them were taken during Operation Pedestal, not all of them were. In particular, there is one photograph captioned as HMS Fiji firing its main armament. However, HMS Fiji was sunk during the Battle of Crete in 1941 and, therefore, could not have participated in Operation Pedestal. On a similar vein, the port of Bône is stated as being in Tunisia whereas it is in Algeria, as shown in one of book’s maps. However, these minor errors aside, this book is an absorbing account of this particular episode, dramatically re-living the chaos, and sometimes the human side, of warfare.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Bletchley Park: The Secret Archives By Sinclair McKay

This is beautifully slipcased presented collector’s edition of the best selling title, The Lost World of Bletchley Park, a comprehensive illustrated history of this remarkable place, from its prewar heyday as a country estate, its wartime requisition and how it became the place where modern computing was invented and the German Enigma code was cracked, to its post-war dereliction and then rescue towards the end of the twentieth century as a museum.

Removable memorabilia includes:

• 1938 recruiting memo with a big tick against Turing’s name
• Churchill’s ‘Action this day’ letter giving code breakers extra resources
• Handwritten Turing memos
• Top Secret Engima decryptions, about the sinking of the Bismark, German High Command’s assessment of D-Day threat and  the message announcing Hitler’s suicide
• A wealth of everyday items such as call-up papers, security notices and propoganda posters

Newly redesigned interiors with 25% new content, high end slipcase package featuring removable facsimile documents, this is an essential purchase for everyone interested and wanting to experience the place where code-breaking helped to win the war.

Review: Having read “The Secret Listeners”, a book describing the exploits of the Wireless Interception Service during the Second World War and written by the same author, I was keen to read this book about Bletchley Park. Although famous nowadays as the home of the codebreakers who decrypted the raw material supplied by the Wireless Interception Service, Bletchley Park was originally an estate with a Victorian mansion in Buckinghamshire. In 1938 the estate and house were bought by the government and converted into the secret establishment known as Station X. The following year, the Government Code and Cypher School moved from London to the estate. It was here that an eclectic and highly talented collection of civilian and military personnel worked to break enemy codes. To assist them in this, sophisticated calculating machines such as the “Bombe” and “Colossus” machines, the forerunners of today’s computers, were developed.

The book covers the history of the estate and house; its conversion to a wartime code breaking centre during the war; the staff who worked there and how they spent their off-duty hours; the machines that were developed; and what happened after the end of the war, when the estate became a training centre for the General Post Office for a time before falling into disrepair. In the 1990s, the Bletchley Park Trust was formed to preserve the site and convert it into the museum and tourist attraction that it is today. The final chapters bring the story up to the present, covering the place of Bletchley Park in popular culture with films such as “Enigma” and “The Imitation Game” and the television series “The Bletchley Circle”.

At 176 pages long, the book is quite short and the chapters, of necessity, fairly brief and, at times, frustratingly superficial. It is more a pictorial history of the estate and this is probably it’s strongest point in that there are numerous images throughout, although in some instances, the captions of the images appear to be incorrect. In the acknowledgements section of the book, it states that some of the material appeared in a previous publication by the author “The Lost World of Bletchley Park”, and some of the images are the same as those used in “The Secret Listeners”. However, at the back of this book is a sleeve that contains removable copies of various documents relating to the codebreakers’ work, including a memo from Winston Churchill agreeing to a request from some of the staff for extra administrative support. Overall, I found this to be a fascinating, though brief, history of the Bletchley Park Estate.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Treasures of World History By Peter Snow & Ann MacMillan

A spirited examination of world history, told through 50 key documents, by two celebrated historians and journalists. With a wealth of experience between them on political, social, cultural and military history, and today's current affairs, Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan are the perfect guides to appreciating the significance of each document.

Chapters are devoted to each of the 50 documents across the political, military, artistic, and scientific spheres, and supported by additional contemporary images. The documents themselves have been researched from the collections of national archives, museums, libraries, and private collections around the world. The authors explain their criteria for selection and provide the pertinent details of each one, taking us on a journey from the scripts of the earliest civilizations through to momentous speeches and papers of today.

Review:The sub-title of this book is: The Story of Civilisation Told Through its 50 Most Important Documents. Married couple and journalists Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan have selected 50 original documents, spanning a period of approximately 4,000 years, that played a significant role in the development of civilisation. These documents have been sourced from various archives and cover a range of fields of human endeavour in politics, religion, music, science and sport.

The book is divided into four sections, namely: the Bronze and Iron Ages; the Medieval and Early Modern Periods; the so-called Age of Revolution, covering the late 18th to the late 19th centuries; and the 20th century and beyond. Hence, the documents range from a stone plaque inscribed in approximately 1750 BC with a series of edicts known as the Code of the Babylonian king Hammurabi, to the Map of the Universe created by a team of astronomers in 2013. Hence, a wide range of documents are described, including: Magna Carta; the American Declaration of Independence; Anne Frank’s Diary; and the final draft of Francis Crick and James Watson’s letter to the scientific journal “Nature” proposing a double helix model for the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Each document is accompanied by a summary, illustrations, a description of the circumstances under which it was created, and the consequences following its dissemination.

In an introduction to the book, the authors describe their difficulty in narrowing down their list to just 50 documents (and indeed what constitutes a document). In the end, those documents included reflect their personal choices. I found this lavishly illustrated book to be a fascinating way to explore the development of human civilisation throughout the ages. It would also be a useful exercise for readers to think about what their selection of documents would be.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: The Making of Modern Britain: From Queen Victoria to V.E. Day By Andrew Marr

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. It was also a time that witnessed the birth of the media as we know it today and the beginnings of the welfare state.

Beyond trenches, flappers and Spitfires, this is a story of strange cults and economic madness, of revolutionaries and heroic inventors, sexual experiments and raucous stage heroines. From organic food to drugs, nightclubs and celebrities to package holidays, crooked bankers to sleazy politicians, the echoes of today's Britain ring from almost every page.

Revview: Andrew Marr is a political journalist and television presenter. He had written previously a book entitled “A History of Modern Britain” which described British history from the end of World War II. This book is a prequel, covering the period from the beginning of the 20th century, just a year before the death of Queen Victoria, to the end of World War II in 1945.

This 45 year period starts in the Edwardian era and covers two World Wars and the inter-war period of the 1920s and 1930s. It was a time of great changes. At the start of the 20th century not all men, and no women, could vote. Much of the political power of the country lay in the hands of aristocratic men. Over the first half of the century, Great Britain became a more democratic country, and there were many other changes in the fields of entertainment and culture.

The book is divided into four sections: the Edwardian period; World War I; the inter-war period; and World War II. Each section is divided further into a series of headings covering specific individuals, such as Douglas Haig, commander of British forces in France from 1915 until the end of World War I, or topics such as the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936. As a political commentator, Andrew Marr gives much emphasis to political events and the various machinations going on within government and political parties. Two figures, namely David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, feature prominently in the book.

This book covers a wide sweep of history, describing events over almost half a century. As such, I found that some topics were covered in detail, whereas other topics appeared to be touched on but then left with much less information. There are footnotes throughout the book and a comprehensive index at the end. I found  the book an interesting read and plugged a number of gaps in my knowledge, particularly of the periods before and between the two World Wars. For example, I had never heard of the Kindred of the Kibbo Kift, a rival organisation to the Boy Scouts set up during the 1920s and which evolved into the Greenshirts in the 1930s. Overall, I would recommend this book as an introduction to the first part of the 20th century, with references at the end for those wishing to study particular topics or individuals in greater detail.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Written in History Compiled by Simon Sebag Montefiore

WRITTEN IN HISTORY celebrates the great letters of world history, creative culture and personal life. Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore selects over one hundred letters from ancient times to the twenty-first century: some are noble and inspiring, some despicable and unsettling; some are exquisite works of literature, others brutal, coarse and frankly outrageous; many are erotic, others heartbreaking. The writers vary from Elizabeth I, Rameses the Great and Leonard Cohen to Emmeline Pankhurst, Mandela, Stalin, Michelangelo, Suleiman the Magnificent and unknown people in extraordinary circumstances - from love letters to calls for liberation, declarations of war to reflections on death. In the colourful, accessible style of a master storyteller, Montefiore shows why these letters are essential reading: how they enlighten our past, enrich the way we live now - and illuminate tomorrow.

Review: This is a collection of over 100 letters, ranging from ancient to current times, compiled by the historian and writer Simon Sebag Montefiore. Unlike electronic forms of communication, letters can be preserved for posterity and, as such, provide a snapshot of a particular time in history. The book is divided into various sections covering topics such as love, discovery, power and downfall. Each letter is preceded by a short, explanatory introduction giving biographical details about the writer and the circumstances under which the letter was written.

The letters are mainly those of people in positions of power, or literary figures. These range from a letter from Mark Antony to Octavian written around 33BC to a letter from Donald Trump to Kim Jong Un written in 2018. Since Simon Sebag Montefiore’s area of expertise is mainly the history of Russia, or of the Soviet Union which governed the former Russian Empire for much of the 20th century, there are many letters by Russian, or Soviet, writers. However, there are letters written by less famous people. An example of this is a letter written by a British Army Captain to his mother describing the Christmas truce of 1914 between British and German troops during the First World War.

I found the book, with its array of famous, and some infamous, characters from history, a fascinating read. Because of the nature of the book, it is something that can be dipped into for a short period if you don’t wish to settle down for a longer read. One of the things that struck me was that some of the issues that were being discussed in letters from historical times are still relevant today. I think two of my favourite letters are: one from Josip Tito, president of the former Yugoslavia, to Joseph Stalin, premier of the Soviet Union, threatening the latter to call off assassins; and one left on the desk in the Oval Office of the White House by the outgoing president of the USA George Bush for the incoming president Bill Clinton wishing him well. With its wide cast of fascinating characters and covering a vast range of topics, there should be something amongst this collection of letters for everyone.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Audiobook Review: Richard III and the Ultimate Game for the Throne By Carol Derbyshire

This is no mythical kingdom. This is England.

This is not fiction, but complete fact. Don't they say that the truth is stranger than fiction?

This was the 15th century and in this green and pleasant land, numerous players took their chances in the ultimate game. The prize was the throne of England.

The game was harsh and it was brutal.

Rival families went to war, leaving cousins dead on the battlefield. Brother fought brother as power corrupted and twisted men's souls. Families were imprisoned and executed. Men were dragged from holy places and murdered where they stood. Advisers schemed and swapped sides. King murdered king in the Tower of London.

And it finally ended with a glorious battle charge to either absolute victory or certain death.

This was the Wars of the Roses.

For 30 years a brutal and bloody civil war ravished the country. The two rival royal houses, York and Lancaster, fought for control and for the crown. During this period the throne changed hands seven times. Two kings were murdered in the Tower. Princes of the realm were executed in cold blood. The period includes immortal figures from history, Henry VI, Edward IV, The Princes in the Tower, Margaret Beaufort, Henry Tudor, Elizabeth of York, and the Kingmaker himself: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.

But there was one figure that lived through the entire war. One figure that was central to the conflict. One figure that still divides opinion today.

Richard III.

This is his story and the game that he played for the throne of England.

Review: Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester and later to become King Richard III of England, was born at Fotheringhay Castle in 1452. This was immediately prior to the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic struggle for the throne of England between the Houses of Lancaster and York which lasted some thirty years. He died at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, the first of the Tudor dynasty, at the end of the Wars of the Roses. Richard was the last Plantagenet king of England and the last king to die in battle. His rise to power and his rule is shrouded in controversy. This short book is a history of his life and of his reign, set against a period of conflict in England.

There is a short introduction to his early life, but the book focuses more on his later life following his brother Edward IV’s consolidation of power in 1471. After Edward’s victories at the Battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, Richard based himself in the north of England, spending most of his time at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire. In 1483, Edward died suddenly and his son, who was 12, became King Edward V, with Richard appointed as his protector. However, Richard had Edward V declared illegitimate and assumed the role of king himself, becoming King Richard III.

The book also describes the discovery, in 2012, of an almost complete skeleton during an archeological dig at the site of what was believed to be the former Greyfriars Church in Leicester. Subsequent examination of the skeleton revealed a marked curvature of the spine and severe trauma injuries to the skull, whilst DNA testing provided support for the proposition that the remains were those of Richard.

The book provides an introduction to the life and times of Richard III but I found that, due to its shortness, it lacked detail. There were also numerous typographical errors throughout, which detracted from the book somewhat.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Guest Review: Some Wore Blue & Some Wore Gray: Civil War Biographies By Heather Graham

With the 150th Anniversary of the Battle at Gettysburg and the Siege of Vicksburg, New York Times Best Selling Author, Heather Graham, is revisiting one of her favorite time periods - The American Civil War. This time, however, she has compiled biographies of some of her favorite real-life characters of the period. We hope you'll enjoy her gift to you in SOME WORE BLUE & SOME WORE GRAY. And feel free to comment in the review section if there are people you would be interested in reading about from the Civil War. Ms. Graham sees this as a living, growing document and is certain to add to it as time goes by. Enjoy!

And then when you want to see where all this love of history took her, check out her three Bantam novels ONE WORE BLUE, ONE WORE GRAY, and AND ONE RODE WEST.

Review: Heather Graham is known more as an author of romantic fiction, but this is a short, non-fiction work comprising fifteen biographies of notable persons from the American Civil War that took place from 1861 to 1865. These are split between those who supported the Federal, or Union, cause (wearing blue) and those who supported the Secessionist, or Confederate, cause (wearing gray).

The biographies cover presidents, generals, cavalry commanders and spies. However, I was mystified by the choice of Scarlett O’Hara, a fictional character, for the last chapter. She is the heroine of Margaret Mitchell’s book “Gone With the Wind” set in the Civil War. In fact, the chapter is more a biography of Margaret Mitchell, born thirty-five years after the end of the conflict, than Scarlett O’Hara.

I found numerous typographical errors throughout the book. This resulted in some incorrect dates, such as Ulysses S Grant’s marriage stated to have taken place in 1948, and Jefferson Davis’s death being recorded as 1989. Also it would appear that Heather Graham has transposed two dates when she writes that Vicksburg surrendered on July 3rd and the Battle of Gettysburg ended on July 4th. Most sources state that the three-day Battle of Gettysburg ended on July 3rd 1863, whilst Vicksburg surrendered to Ulysses S Grant’s besieging Union forces on the following day of July 4th.

Being a short book, each biography is necessarily short and I found the resulting lack of detail frustrating. Also, the choice of subjects was somewhat arbitrary. As a brief, and very basic, background to the Civil War it would be of interest, but there are more detailed texts on this conflict that almost tore the United States of America apart and whose legacy still resonates today.

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US