Sub-titled 'The Cowardice of Captain Stinson', here is 'a terrific, rollicking adventure.' - Simon Garfield. The emigrant ship William and Mary departed from Liverpool with 208 British, Irish and Dutch emigrants in early 1853, captained by young American Timothy Stinson. The vessel was sailing for New Orleans when the ship wrecked in the Bahamas in mysterious circumstances. Instead of grounding the ship on a nearby shore, or building rafts for the passengers, Stinson and the majority of his crew sneaked away in lifeboats - murdering at least two of the emigrants with a hatchet as they did so. They reported the ship sunk with all on board lost, but the passengers kept the ship afloat, and two days later were rescued by heroic wreckers as the ship went down. Now over 160 years on, the tale of the travellers murdered in Bahamian waters and the hundreds who escaped thanks to kindly wreckers can finally be told. Stinson is no longer getting away with murder. We read about Susannah Diamond, the English 19 year old hoping for a new life in St. Louis with her family, husband, toddler and unborn child, and Izaak Roorda, one of a group of 87 Dutch emigrants seeking to settle in Wisconsin, who found the lifeboat more perilous than the sinking ship. Roorda recalls, 'Barely had I returned to the great ship than I and many passengers took to the pumps: fear, anxiety and shock drove each of us instinctively to look for a means to save ourselves...wailing and groaning filled the air...others climbed into the masts; it is impossible to form an image of our terrible and hopeless situation, the cabin filled with people and when an enormous creaking sound was heard in the ship below, we thought the whole vessel would sink immediately into the depths.' 162pp, photos and woodcuts.

Readers are privileged to see Hampshire Railways in the 1940s, the same time as Mike Jacobs first saw a sailor carrying bananas at Portsmouth Station. Personal reminiscences are combined with accurate factual information as Jacobs visits and travels on and around the Southern Region in the 1950s and early 60s. There are visits to Eastly, Gosport, Lyme Regis, Exmouth, the East Devon branches, a Feltham bound freight through Staines on a hot 18th June 1960 summer's day, an immaculate G16 no. 30495, ex-works, and awaiting running-in 1958 and a Plymouth to Brighton service waiting to leave Fareham engine no. 34040 Crewkerne. There are interviews with the Works Manager at Eastleigh and interesting facts on Mr Bulleid and his engines, and the story continues with equally wonderful descriptions of visits from Kent across to Cornwall. This new title is copiously illustrated with new material, many previously unpublished, a colour map, glossy large pages in softback and hundreds of nostalgic original images reproduced to the best possible quality. 112pp.

Sub-titled 'A History of the 12th (Pioneers) King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 1914-1918'. Little is known or understood of the contribution made by the thousands of men who served with the original Pioneer Battalions. Building and repairing roads, bridges, railway lines, gun emplacements, and laying barbed wire to protect the front line were just some of the tasks that they performed on a regular basis. Fortunately the subject of the British Army's logistical support in the war zone during the new industrialised warfare that developed during 1914 and 1918 is now being examined in greater detail. The initial training the Battalion received laid the foundation of the spirit of discipline and self-sacrifice for which it was noted, whether serving with the Division or detached for special duty. When sent to Flanders for the Third Battalion of Ypres, their services were the subject of highly complimentary reports from the Corps and Army Commanders. The first person to be acknowledged in this reproduction of the history must be the original author, Captain R. Ede England, whose intimate knowledge of this Battalion allowed him to describe in detail the part it played and the difficulties experienced by these former miners and engineers who found themselves caught up in the world's first truly industrialised global war. The photographs included were taken by members of the Battalion, despite the fact that Army Regulations forbade the use of cameras at the Front. With use of recollections of former members and the Battalion's war diary as the basic framework on which to hang the stories of battles fought and hideous conditions endured, Captain England's approach to the telling of the story appears somewhat light-hearted but this simply may reflect his ability to see a lighter side to the grim reality that was all around him. Of course there were at the time many comical articles published in The Wipers Times by another Pioneer Battalion. Captain England also refers to the extent of the damage to the towns and cities of Northern France, and even to the very nature of the soil over which the battles were waged over four years. His figures show that during the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917, the 12th KOYLI laid 29 miles of light track railway carrying some 18,000 tons of ammunition in one week alone. The original readers of Captain England's book would have been familiar with the political, social industrial background of the time and such names as Maconochie's Stew, only one of a number of canned food stuffs that developed an unfortunate reputation with the troops. The Battalion performed with such distinction it gained the nickname 'The Yorkshire Guards'. 188pp, very well illustrated with photographs and map.

Sub-titled 'Embroidered With Beads', this innovative collection from the author of 'Embroideries from an English Garden' celebrates the contents of the sewing box in colourful designs embellished with fine bead embroidery. Decorate a simple Panama straw hat with an elegant bow and decorate around the brim with tiny seed pearls or sequins or silk. We look at Victorian style with a thimble slipper, pin cushion, needle book and go on to greetings cards, key fobs, tools and embroidery then the beading stitches to single or double stitch, thread and couch, making four-petal flowers or a ring of 6-8 petals, a beaded lotus flower, gently curved stems, tight scrolls, Satin stitch, Picot, flat beaded or triple bead edgings or edgings with threads like a twisted cord or a blanket or stab stitch. You can imagine many of these stunning floral borders embroidered onto doll's house curtains for example or for any number of personal fashion statements from denim outfits to bridal wear - or enlarge the embroidery outline and use larger beads and threads. Just remember that the embroidery must be worked on a hoop. Step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations for all of these gift and dress decorations in Victorian, Indian and floral styles. 128pp.

Like other towns across the country, Northampton was changed forever in how people in the town lived, worked and endured the Great War of 1914-18. It changed the way industry operated, broke down barriers and created opportunity, particularly for women. Homes lost their breadwinners. Industries were forced to change long-held views and working practices. Wasteland was ploughed and planted to increase crop yields for food, families dug up their gardens, the Army formed Home Guard units, workers were persuaded to buy War Bonds, and in many places Zeppelins successfully crossed the Channel and bombed towns. This was a people's war in all respects. Northampton at this time had a population of around 95,000 living in mainly terraced, poor-quality housing, with poor sanitation. Of that total, 29,700 were men of working age with the main employer being the shoe industry. The rest of the workforce held down jobs in engineering, the various breweries, flour mills or the building industry. But in that summer of 1914 the Castle Ashby 32nd Annual Flower Show went ahead as planned with a panel of horticultural experts giving their verdicts in the judging of over 1260 entries in a variety of gardening categories, and the Annual August Parade went ahead, headed by the Brixworth Brass Band. Around the same time, enlisted men of the Northamptonshire Regiment, training at Ashridge Park Hertfordshire, were ordered back to Northampton. On the food front, impending war pushed up prices on staple foods like bacon, cheese, butter and sugar, but it was widely believed that the conflict would be short-lived. Business owners and people with German names found themselves under pressure, verbally abused or their premises attacked. The shoe industry however saw a sudden increase in business - the army needed boots. Here too is the story of Northampton's remarkable people and how they helped Belgian refugees who had fled the German invasion, organised fundraising events for the troops in local hospitals, accepted soldiers of the Welsh Fusiliers into their homes, and worked long hours producing boots for the army. Against a background of key military events, the book celebrates the city's contribution to the war effort. With poor quality but nevertheless interesting archive photos, 142pp in large softback.

A superb photo gallery celebration of Oriana's farewell season. The cruise ship boasted Chaplin's Cinema which could accommodate 200 passengers at each show in tiered seating, a Theatre Royal at the forward end of the Prom Deck, a 650 seat high-tech modern theatre decorated in rich colours and dark woods, Crichton's Card Room named after the General Manager of P&O from 1951 to 1965, the Oasis Spa and Saloon, Lord's Tavern, Pacific Lounge, Harlequin's Nightclub with its beautiful marquetry dance floor, Anderson's elegant bar, the Riviera Pool on the Lido Deck, the Conservatory and all the bars and restaurants, cabins inside and balcony, and crew-only areas, technical information and the terraced aft decks which were a hallmark of her design. Cruise the world from the comfort of your armchair, promenade the deck or dip into the crystal pools as we are taken on a special tour of what was a new generation of British-based cruise ships specially designed for the UK market. Built by Meyer Werft in Germany and named by HM the Queen, she entered service in 1995 and 25 years later became a much-loved classic with an active cruising schedule visiting ports including Hong Kong, Sydney and Cape Town. Written and photographed by a well-known maritime historian, this is a fitting tribute. Large sized landscape softback packed with colour photos. 96pp.
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From an exciting and modestly-priced series of railway books from Trams-Pennine Publishing packed with period colour photographs and a highly informative text telling the history of various diesel and electric locomotive and multiple units used on Britain's railways. Veteran railway enthusiasts will love these hitherto unpublished colour photographs and this volume charts the careers and liveries that later became known as Classes 44, 45 and 46, collectively nicknamed as Peaks after the 'mountain top' names that were bestowed upon the first ten members of the class to be delivered, plus those bearing regimental names, then passing through the different variations in appearances and liveries over the years. In addition, there are 17 of which have been preserved, and for modellers they can be recreated in miniature. Released into service all over painted green, there were later additions of small yellow warning panels to improve visibility to those on the trackside. The life stories of individual trains pictured show how all their name changes, re-numberings, going into storage, resting, restoration, missing name plates and final withdrawal, their nicknames like The Lady for one Class 46, originally named Leicestershire and Derbyshire Yeomanry on 14th April 1962 in front of a crowd at Derby Midland Station. With their distinctive yellow noses, the book has approximately 60 marvellous archive colour photos. 60 page paperback.

Sub-titled 'The Early Years of Powered Flight in the UK', Britain in the 19th century was at the forefront of powered flight and across the country many places became centres of innovation and experimentation as increasing numbers of daring men took to the skies. It was in 1799 at Brompton Hall that Sir George Cayley Bart put forward ideas which formed the basis of powered flight. Widely regarded as the father of aviation, his ancestral home is the 'cradle' of British aviation. There were balloon flights at Hendon from 1862, although attempts at powered flights from the area later used as the famous airfield do not seem to have been particularly successful. Despite this, Louis Bleriot established a flying school there in 1910. It was gliders that Percy Pilcher flew from the grounds of Stamford Hall, Leicestershire during the 1890s. He was killed in a crash there in 1899 but had plans for a powered aircraft which experts believe may well would have enabled him to beat the Wright Brothers in becoming the first to make a fixed-wing powered flight. At Brooklands, attempts were made to build and fly a powered aircraft in 1906, even before the banked race track was completed, but these were unsuccessful. But on 8th June 1809, A. V. Roe made what is considered to be the first powered flight in Britain from there - in reality a short hop - in a machine of his own design and construction. The book also includes the first ever aircraft factory in the railway arches at Battersea, Larkhill on Salisbury Plain which became the British Army's first airfield, and Barking Creek where Frederick Handley Page established his first factory. Plus London's aerodrome and Britain's first military airfield in chapters including 'Married Officers Need Not Apply.' Tiddly up and down these pages with a summary of key locations and events at the front and many quotes from astonished onlookers. 246pp, photos and fact boxes.

This glossy paged, heavily illustrated volume explores and discusses the three biggest developments in London's railway for many years - the East-West Crossrail (Elizabeth) Line, the Thameslink North-South large-scale upgrade, and what may become Crossrail 2. All are aimed at providing extra capacity and relieving many railway routes of severe congestion problems. In the 1930s, the Government kick-started an investment programme that was cut short by World War Two and this book explores the severe consequences this had for the network. In reality, apart from some electrification works, the financial realities of post-war Britain meant that very little happened at all. The Victoria Line, identified as a prime requirement in 1949, opened over 20 years later. Now with the sleek long modern carriages and extra-long platforms on the Elizabeth Line, the book is a timely examination of the fascinating and often troubled history of attempts to improve railway connectivity in the metropolis. The New Works Programme of 1935 to 1940 was never completed and was succeeded by the ambitious County of London Plan of 1943 and its derivatives. These would have expanded the main-line railway network across the capital. Numerous reports had only limited success but resulted in some main-line electrification, and later the creation and extension of the Jubilee Line. Restoration of the Farringdon to Blackfriars link branded as Thameslink went ahead and the original Crossrail Bill, although defeated in Parliament in 1994, was later replaced by a new scheme. Plans for Crossrail 2 on a North/South-West Axis across London are being pursued actively. The book includes and analysis of the prospects for the mainline railways across London and over 170 photographs, maps and illustrations. 28.7 x 22cm.

Updated and enlarged edition of the Scenes from the Past 11A in the series, this is a truly nostalgic collection of archive images and the original 1991 text reproduced in facsimile, now a rather dated looking design, but a valuable historical record. 'It all began in the 1980s with a handful of railway pictures which I hoped would be accepted by Becknell Books to emerge as 'The Railways of Nottingham' but they ceased publishing shortly after they received my offering so it came to nothing. Thankfully the project was rekindled and the well written and carefully researched manuscript and good quality images reproduced on the right kind of bright white glossy paper plus illustrations showing the entire railway scene.? With humour and anecdotes, the history covers approximately 140 years. In 1850, the then Midland Station was to be found on a route from Derby to Lincoln to which was connected a branch line running through the northern suburbs of Basford and Bulwell proceeding up the valley of the River Leen and ultimately reaching Mansfield. A few miles to the east of the city at Netherfield a connection went off in a south-easterly direction crossing the River Trent near Radcliffe and joining what is now the East Coast Mainline from Kings Cross to Edinburgh at Grantham. The GNR spread its tentacles beyond the coalfield to reach the breweries of Burton-on-Trent and out as far as the rich pastureland east of Stafford from which district it secured a valuable traffic in milk for London. Much land was available at Colwick, east of Nottingham, and there a facility blossomed to become a main shed in LNER days housing well over 200 engines. On 1st July 1878 a line from Bottesford West Junction on the Grantham Line to Newark was opened. There remain in Nottingham two railway built clock towers, and a journey through the pages of this book take young and old alike to the most relevant places in and around the city and we are rewarded with hours of nostalgic pleasure looking at the engines and coaches, civil engineering works of cuttings and concrete drainage channels, colliery closures, the booking office, and in the colour section of eight pages a smartly turned out LMS Jubilee 46560 Blake Director No. 62667 Somme, Britannia No. 7001 to John of Gaunt, or a Stanier 2-6-4T No. 2550 waiting patiently among this gallery of hundreds of superb archive images, tickets reproduced and beautifully drawn maps. Large sized softback.