John Hunter

For a great part of his reign Henry VIII was concerned to produce a legitimate male heir, yet for much of this time he had a son, albeit illegitimate. Henry Fitzroy was born in 1519 and became the Duke of Richmond and Somerset in 1525. Educated as a Renaissance prince, how close did he get to becoming Henry IX?

In 1586 Elizabeth I was named Weroanoza, Big Chief, by a tribe of North American Indians. This delighted Walter Raleigh, who established a colony in the New World, thus creating a riddle that took many years to solve.

An anthology of Prayers, Hymns and Readings in everyday use.

Cricket originated in 16th-century England and was gradually introduced throughout the British Empire. The author, a fan and radio commentator, presents an irreverent account of cricket, its leadership and its secret scandals!

Memoirs of the popular leading actor famed for his witty, debonair and high-comedy style.

First published in 1963 this book became the centre of a theological storm. It offered a passionate debate about the nature of Christian belief at a time when established doctrines were being challenged by revolutionary ideas.

Sequel to 'Young Betjeman'. This volume covers Betjeman's zenith years where he gains fame as a poet and as a television personality. It also explores his turbulent marriage with Penelope and his anguish when she converted to Roman Catholicism.

The story of the man raised to be King but who abandoned the throne for love. Written in 1951, this is the only autobiography ever written by a British Monarch.

After eight years of struggle by engineers the world's first passenger line, the Liverpool - Manchester Railway, was opened. Watching the ceremony William Huskisson was killed when he accidentally stepped out in front of Stephenson's Rocket. As the opening descended into gruesome farce, this accident proved how breathtaking but dangerous trains could be.

Part 2 ’Passion and Pain’. Sequel to: 'The Last Master Vol.1' (4881). This fictional biography vividly depicts Beethoven at the height of his powers during the turbulent Napoleonic Wars.

Everyone knows the opening bars of the Fifth Symphony, but how many know the story of its writer, Ludwig van Beethoven, arguably the greatest composer of all time? How could a man deaf for nearly all his adult life write the 'Eroica' Symphony, the Fifth, the 'Pastoral' Symphony, the 'Emperor' Concerto, the 'Moonlight' Sonata and Fidelio?

Part 3 'Passion and Glory': Sequel to 'The Last Master Vol 2' (5086). The final book of the fictionalised biography of Beethoven, looking at his later years. Though troubled with deafness he produced some of his finest work.

Setting out to solve the riddle of the man who was his boyhood hero, the author discovered a man whose greatness owed as much to his weaknesses as his strengths.

An authorised biographical study of the much acclaimed dramatist

A fascinating portrait of a German village and its controversial Passion Play, which has been held every ten years since the seventeenth century.

The extraordinary story of a German-Turkish plot in 1914 to overthrow British hold in India and the Russians in Central Asia.

Some of the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes stories in which Dr. Watson assists in the solution of crime.

The author's letters and recollections of his wartime experience in the Burma Campaign serving in the 25th Dragoons.

The author has always been driven by a quest for the unknown and has participated in many epic expeditions. He has also set up the youth programme Operation Raleigh, but all readers will be inspired to seek adventure by this thrilling book.

John, Susan, Titty and Roger return to the lake for another summer camping on their island with their old allies, Nancy and Peggy, otherwise known as the Amazon pirates. But immediately disaster strikes when the Swallows find themselves marooned ashore by the shipwreck of their boat. But if they can't have the island, there's always Swallowdale, the secret valley, hidden from the world and containing an extra secret concealed within it.

Thomas Hardy is shown to be a highly professional writer who drew largely upon his own personal experiences.

The entertaining adventures of three children.