Which flamboyant king enjoyed wearing pink high heels? Which English Queen had 17 pregnancies but failed to produce an heir? From how Trojan Brutus may have been Britain's first king, the legendary Celtic founder of Bath Bladud who made Britain's first laws, holy wars and Boudicca, find out if Constantine the Great had a British grandfather, Arthur's role in a Somerset zodiac, and if the mystery of Sutton Hoo was this the state funeral of the Anglo Saxon King Redwald. Hadrian's Wall, Scottish monarchy, Alfred the Great, Eadwig the Lustful, Wessex pride, William 'Rufus' gets his comeuppance, uncrowned Queen Matilda mothers the Plantagenet dynasty, Henry II and his turbulent priest, King John, Edward I, Robert the Bruce, Edward III, Richard II, the murky rise of the House of Lancaster, Henry VI more monk than king, did Richard III really deserve his evil image? England's nine-day queen, brave Queen Elizabeth, Charles I and II, Mary distraught at having to marry unattractive William, the Georges and how sober William IV was a welcome relief, Victoria and beyond up to Elizabeth II, every king and queen of England is included, except for the young prince in the tower. New full price, 144pp, line art.

Native Americans make up less than one per cent of the total US population, but represent half the nation's languages and cultures. Here in one grand sweep is the full story of America's indigenous peoples, their society, culture and religion, everything from the land-based spirituality of their early creation myths, and the late rise of Indian Pride, to the 88 uses to which the Sioux put the flesh and bones of the buffalo, and the practice of berdache (men adopted as women). The book offers a chronological history of Native Americans and their emergence out of the now submerged continent of Beringia, the 'forgotten wars' of the 16th and 17th centuries which wiped many tribes from the East Coast. It finally describes to the last struggles of the Cheyenne and the Comanche. Celebrating these peoples' way of life rather than focusing on the manner of their genocide, it does not ignore uncomfortable facts of the Amerindian past including suspected cannibalism and their part in the decimation of North America's buffalo herds. Some remarkable success stories are now emerging. A compelling account of the truth, tragedy and magic of America's original inhabitants. 571pp in mammoth paperback.

With gold embossed linen cover and magnificent design and presentation as befitting a Thames & Hudson publication and with marbled endpapers, Martin Rees Astronomer Royal introduces us to the starry sky, the 'Vault of Heaven' which has been viewed with awe throughout human history. Over the centuries geocentric cosmology was 'improved' to take account of successively more accurate data as proposed by the great Tycho Brahe and Nicolaus Copernicus with his heliocentric system which eventually triumphed, losing some of its complicity after Kepler (1571-1630) discovered planetary orbits to be ellipses rather than circles. In Atlas Coelestis, Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr (1677-1750) masterfully presents a panorama of what was believed about the cosmos in the early 18th century. The splendid ornamentation of his illustrations reflect the cultural breadth and intelligence of his intended readers. His sky maps portray the most prominent stars, the tracks of comets, and the orbits of Saturn's and Jupiter's moons, themselves 'cosmic clocks', observable in principle by navigators. Some of Doppelmayr's most remarkable illustrations depict how the solar system would appear if viewed not from Earth but from another planet. Today we are sending probes to these other worlds. Across 30 remarkable colour plates published by a great cartographic house in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1742, this spectacular outsized guide showcases the 1742 Map of the Cosmos and is a superb introduction to the fundamentals and history of astronomy. Charting constellations, planets, comets and moons, the Atlas presents the ideas of all the famous influential astronomers including Copernicus, Riccioli, Kepler, Newton and Halley. The intricate colour plates interweave annotated diagrams and tables with figurative drawings and ornamental features. At this size we can appreciate the beauty of these exquisite plates which are also presented in a step-by-step deconstructed form by astronomer Giles Sparrow who elucidates the scientific ideas inherent in each plate. He expertly decodes and analyses the complex information in them in this spectacular, revelatory celestial compendium of the cosmos. All in colour, 256 massive pages, 37.5 x 27cm.
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No country on earth has a higher concentration of churches and castles than Wales. The most famous date from the late 1200s and are rightly associated with Edward I of England who commissioned the construction of what is now often known as the 'Iron Ring' to act as a sign of dominance over the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Assisting Edward was his master mason, James of St George, probably of Crusader pedigree judging by the castles' appearance. It was in 1277 that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, met with Edward I in Aberconwy to finalise a treaty that would change the fate of both nations. His hand forced by Edward's invasion earlier that year, the acceptance of the terms confirmed not only short-term peace, but also that the rule of Wales would pass to Edward on Llywelyn's death. Both before and simultaneous to William the Conqueror's establishment of timber and stone fortresses in the south and borderlands, a process continued by many of his descendants, native structures also existed. Though often more palatial than protective, such constructions proved decisive to the ongoing wars, and were often chosen as sites for future castles. Many had begun as Roman forts whereas others date from more modern times and many now are romantic ruins, and others cherished family homes, hotels or museums. From blood-soaked heroes to long-lost legends, violent pirates to despotic Marcher lords, the book offers a fresh investigation into 69 castles and an extra Best of the Rest chapter covering another 30 with a paragraph or two each and a further 16 where gatehouses and ruins remain. 246pp, 16 pages of archive photos.
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At the turn of the 20th century, the American photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) started on his 30 year project to produce a monumental study of North American Indians. Using an approach that was both artistically and scientifically ambitious, he recorded, in words and pictures, the traces of the traditional Indian way of life that was already beginning to die out. With tireless personal commitment Curtis visited 80 American Indian tribes from the Mexican border to the Bering Strait in America and Canada, gaining their confidence through his patience and sensitivity. Tribes include the Apache, Navajo, Mohave, Atsina, Cheyenne, Klickitat, Nez Percés, Haida, Hopi, Yuki, Zuni, Sarsi and Comanche. Totem poles, squaws, cacti, teepees and famous chiefs like Spotted Bull and Little Sioux, Curtis photographed Indian faces, homes, agriculture, dress, warriors, cooking, hunting, clay making, fishing - every aspect of their nature, habitat and lifestyle. His work was printed in 20 volumes between 1907 and 1930 as The North American Indian, but with only 272 copies, originals became extremely rare. This book gathers Curtis' entire American Indian portfolio into one publication, offering renewed access to and appreciation of his extraordinary achievement, which is as much a precious historical document as a triumph of the photographic form. All in quality, atmospheric sepia. New from Taschen. 14 x 4.5 x 20.5 cm, 768 pages, pagemarker.

Superbly illustrated heavyweight edition of the most famous and influential work of English fantasy ever published, reimagined for a new generation of readers by John Matthews, one of the world's leading Arthurian experts, and illustrated by internationally acclaimed Tolkien artist, John Howe. The tales of how the boy Arthur drew the Sword from the Stone, or the love of Lancelot and Guinevere, or how the knights of the Round Table rode out in search of the Holy Grail are known and loved the world over. It all began when an obscure Celtic hero named Arthur stepped on to the stage of history, sometime in the 6th century, and oral tales led to a vast body of stories from which, 900 years later, Thomas Malory wrote the famous Le Morte D'Arthur. The Great Book of King Arthur presents these well-loved stories for a modern reader, for the first time collecting many tales of Arthur and his knights either unknown to Malory or written in other languages. Here, you will read of Avenable, the girl brought up as a boy who becomes a famous knight. You will learn of Gawain's strange birth, his upbringing amongst poor folk and his final rise to the highest possible rank - Emperor of Rome. There is also the story of Morien whose adventures are as fantastic and exciting as any to be found in the pages of Malory. In addition, there are some of the earliest tales of Arthur, deriving from the tradition of Celtic storytelling. Here is the original Arthur, represented in such powerful stories as 'The Adventures of Eagle-Boy', and 'The Coming of Merlin', based on the early medieval text Vita Merlini, which gives a completely new version of the great Enchanter's story. These age-old stories, still as popular today as they were from the Middle Ages onwards, are dramatically brought to life by the luminous paintings and delicate detailed line drawings of John Howe, whose work on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies has brought him a world-wide following. Foreword by Neil Gaiman. Large 9.5 x 25.2cm, 406 glossy colourful pages.
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The Genoese Cartographic Tradition and Christopher Columbus. A staggeringly beautiful, watermarked 1997 first edition, this comes with mostly full colour gatefold, fold-out maps, 31 in total, 23 in colour. The history of cartography is also that of methods of surveying and techniques of representation, ranging from rock carvings and rudimentary sketches, to the parchment manuscripts of medieval nautical charts, and the first engravings cut into wood, copper or stone, and later reproduced on paper in relatively limited quantities. Such are the cartographic documents reproduced in this entire series. Together with many other plates, volume XII in the series has 216pp.

Beginning with the work of the master builders of antiquity, Frank Joseph shares his personal investigations into ancient mysteries and paranormal enigmas in America and abroad examining Old World connections with the New World sacred centres. These include similarities between Ohio's Mound City and the pyramids and tombs of the Giza Plateau, ancient American cities of the Sun, China's Great Pyramid, and the possibility of a Templar treasure on Oak Island. He explores modern sacred sites such as Iowa's Grotto of Gems, Tennessee's Greek Temple of the goddess Athena, and Florida's Coral Castle. He investigates pre-Columbian sites and underwater pyramids in the Midwest, Wisconsin's UFO hot-spot, lost Aztec Cities of Gold in Kansas, and giant-built constructions in Illinois and the afterlife. He details how the intriguing acoustics of Newgrange in Ireland are echoed in its spiral carvings, and explores ritual uses of altered states, looking at the practices of Minoan snake handlers, Mayan shamans, and prophets through the ages. Plus EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomena, the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and the Ark of the Covenant and extraordinary personalities including Jules Verne, Sir Francis Bacon, Mother Shipton and the real-life inspiration for Indiana Jones. 308pp in large well illustrated softback.

A beautifully illustrated collection of some of the finest examples of liturgical art and the culture that produced it, this medieval church treasury assesses the artistic techniques and methods, and places objects in the context of their practice and piety. Fliegel explores the origins from late antiquity and their ultimate disappearance as a result of the Reformation, French Revolution, and political upheavals of the early modern period. Reliquaries, censers, monstrances, chalices, patens and vestments, liturgical objects were usually crafted from precious metals such as silver, gilt-silver and gold to which costly gemstones, enamels, carved ivory plaques were often applied. They were often displayed only in a church sacristy, or a 'treasury', and important objects were displayed openly on or near the altar for all to see. The many books produced during the Middle Ages to celebrate the Mass were handmade and often costly to produce, decorated or illuminated with silver and gold leaf and colourful paint, these illuminated manuscripts were among the most prized possessions of any cathedral, parish church or monastery. Sometimes they were bound between bejewelled covers, befitting their function on the altar. Some of these great medieval treasuries have survived in situ in cities such as Venice, Hildesheim, Aachen, Trier and elsewhere. The medieval churchgoer would be overwhelmed by the sensory richness of the setting, the coloured light emanating from stained glass windows, the flickering lights from candles and the smell of incense and of course the crosses and chalices which dazzled and inspired the faithful in a world embellished with sculpture, icons and frescoes of God, the angels and saints. This is a rich treasury in a rare import of 108pp, 22.5 x 28.5cm.

Written with great literary flair, inquisitiveness, soul-searching and humanity, this is a haunting work of resurrection and an odd fictional encyclopaedia of disappeared cities, lost towns and ghost villages. Matthew Green reimagines the lives of those who walked their streets as he peers through the cracks of history to find Dunwich, a medieval city plunged off a cliff by sea storms, the abandoned village of Wharram Percy, wiped out by the Black Death, the lost city of Trellech, unearthed by moles in 2002, and a Norfolk village zombified by the military and turned into a Nazi, Soviet, and Afghan village for training. British historian and broadcaster Matthew Green tells the astonishing tales of the rise and demise of these places, animating the people who lived, worked, dreamed and died there as he travels across Britain exploring their haunting and often-beautiful remains. Mourned by evictees and reimagined by artists, writers and mavericks, he gives us the taste of medieval wine or the sights of puffin hunting on the tallest cliffs in the country. His first discovery lay in one of the remotest corners in Scotland, Skara Brae, to find houses beneath the sand before we travel to the obliterated port of Winchelsea and the abandoned island of St Kilda. Tiny remainder mark, 358pp, illus.