The bestselling military historian thrillingly tells the stories of seven dramatic World War Two escapes executed by members of the British Special Air Service (SAS). No food, water and out of ammo. Hunted and on the run with the dreaded certainty of discovery looming between recapture and safe haven. Would you give up? From the earliest years of the War to its explosive closing stages, readers are plunged into the dark heart of Mussolini's Fascist Italy, held captive in a heavily fortified POW camp in Greece, and in the coastal fortress of Tobruk in Occupied Libya. Whether scaling the treacherous war-torn Vosges Mountains in France, or crossing 150 miles of sun-blasted Sahara Desert crawling with General Erwin Rommel's fearsome Afrika Korps, it took cunning, incredible courage and die-hard fearlessness to pull off these exhilarating escapes. 'Those men would go on to form the core of the SAS Nazi-hunting unit that would track down some of the most elusive war criminals.' Based on debriefings on letters, Lewis recounts the most terrifying and adrenalin-fuelled days and nights and the uncommon bravery of these heroes. 332pp, eight pages of photos. Please note contents are the same as SAS Great Escapes.

The aim of the book is to discover what light Hitler's associates were able to shed on the personality and modus operandi of the Führer, and to determine the extent to which they (and indeed Hitler himself) realised that their leader was insane. The aim is also to investigate the cause of his insanity and in this regard the testimony of the leading Nazis who were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg during 1945 and 1946, are of particular relevance. Norman explores what lay behind Hitler's irrational behaviour and decision-making processes and whether he had any insight into his mental disorder. From conversations between himself and his doctor Theodor Morell, the answer would appear to be 'yes'. Drawing on his medical background, Norman explores Hitler's childhood, his experiences of loss, and his meteoric rise to power. He attempts to determine to what extent Hitler's ailments both physical and mental ultimately contributed both to his decline and to his death. He covers such topics as Hitler's Secret Book, Alfred Rosenberg, Göring, Hess, Himmler, Goebbels, von Ribbentrop, Funk, Martin Bormann, Hans Frank and whether Hitler had a possible Jewish ancestor. Plus Albert Speer, Rommel, Hitler and his Voices, Eva Braun and many other players in the story. With a glossary of terms, 272pp, many photos.

The Lower Thames Estuary has many picturesque rivers that feed it and the author loves to stop awhile and ponder, drift into shallow anchorages for a night or two and investigate the local shores. 'Pleasant moments are spent pottering through the Saltings on miniature voyages of discovery in a little gunter-rigged tender... away from man's hard edges, terrain that was once dry land is luxuriant with salt tolerant plant life...' Pure salt water courses through Nick Ardley's veins. He was brought up on a Thames spritsail barge - the ones with the deep red sails which glide by still today. He sailed the high seas on ocean going ships and with his mate beside him, he has weaved his way through the Thames Estuary's tidal creeks and rivers for many years, mostly aboard his clinker sloop. The Estuary is an artery of modern commerce, but the remaining vestiges of past industry pepper its rivers and creeks. Flooded islands have become the domain of myriad birds, nesting on hummocks of saltings and feeding on mudflats. There are rotting wharves festooned with bladderwrack alive with life, the time-worn ribs of barges the perch for cormorants. Around all of that, man has created new uses for disused lime, cement and brick docks. Boatyards, marinas and waterside housing has emerged from the industrial ashes. Beneath his boat's swinging lamp, the author muses about old souls, shoal draft yachts with great enthusiasm for the environment in this little corner of England. 76 colour photos plus archive photos and maps. 191 page large softback.

Zeppelin! The word conjures images to the mind of a graceful airship with a deadly intent. The author was a Zeppelin commander during the First World War, bombing England on numerous occasions, and even met some of the supreme German commanders such as General Erich Ludendorss. He was well acquainted with Count Zeppelin and all the designers and management of the Zeppelin Company. He had ever increasing faith in its success on international routes and it is sadly ironic that this talented man should die in Hindenburg shortly after he had produced the draft for this book. He died following the fire that destroyed the Hindenburg on 6th May 1937, surviving the fire but badly burned, still discussing the future of airships and battled over the possibility of any natural phenomena causing the loss of the airship. He died the following day. After the war he had worked under Hugo Eckener who took over the management following Count Zeppelin's death in 1917. He was closely involved in the voyages of the Graf Zeppelin, including the famous round the world voyage, and pioneered services to the United States and the regular service to South America. Lehmann makes his Nazi sympathies quite clear, but tactfully does not touch upon his differences with Hugo Eckener regarding the use of the warships for Nazi electioneering. Nor does he touch upon Göring's manoeuvring which broke up the Zeppelin Company, thereby leaving Eckener as an outsider. Lehmann believes in the superiority of German engineering, and beyond that the superiority of everything German. He served as Commanding Officer on more than 100 of the flights between 1928 and 1936 and Captain Lehmann was named Director of the new airline in 1935. In 1936 he commanded ten round-trip flights to Lakehurst on the new Hindenburg. An amazing discovery of his book draft, now in 352 fine heavyweight pages, fully illustrated throughout.

Sip your next relaxing cuppa from this luxury shiny black cat mug with tail-shaped handle which is easy to hold, two black ears that pop up above the rim, closed white eyes, white whiskers, a tiny cute heart shaped nose and big white chin. The inside of this quality ceramic heavy mug is bright white as is the base, and we have chosen it for its quality and appealing design. Now to get Lottie the whippet away from the bubble wrap which protects it in its cardboard gift box.

World famous illustrator of the Roald Dahl stories and many other children's classics, Quentin Blake takes his sketch pad everywhere. This gorgeous volume, with Blake's own inimitable commentary, starts with quirky sketches of exhibits from the Science Museum in Kensington, including Stephenson's Rocket exploding with steam and artistic energy. Blake is fascinated by the Victorian children's book The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin, and he tries his hand at depicting the precipitous and rather sinister mountain scenery that Ruskin had in mind when he wrote the story for 12-year old Effie Gray, to whom he was later briefly married. Michael Morpurgo is a regular collaborator, and Blake's sketches for "Didn't we have a lovely time?" bring to life the touching story of a Vietnamese boy who talks to a horse. Blake has illustrated numerous books for the Folio Society, including Apuleius's Golden Ass, a classic novel from the ancient world. His edition features a wonderfully romantic depiction of the fable of Cupid and Psyche, with Psyche holding up her lamp to look at the beautiful boy. Blake's sketches for Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker are darker in colour and mood, with Blake's superb watercolour technique effectively employed to create threatening skies. For an "Artists on the Beach" exhibition in Hastings, Blake imagined portraits of well-known artists on easels set up on the beach, including Maggi Hambling, Edward Burra, Dod Procter, and Alfred Wallis. Finally his paintings for Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital include lovable dragons, donkeys, rabbits and fabulous invented creatures. 224pp, softback, illustrated in colour throughout.
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In the evening of 4th April 1793, preparations were being made for a clandestine ceremony in Rome. The wedding of the son of the King of England to the daughter of the Governor of the Bahamas would not only be concealed, it would also be illegal. That night His Royal Highness Prince Augustus Frederick was married to Lady Augusta Murray without witnesses. The couple had known each other for only three months and shared a birthday. They were deeply in love, but the consequences of their rash union would be terrible. 'Death is certainly better than this' - the couple had considered suicide the evening before. The sixth son of King George III was forbidden under the Royal Marriages Act to marry without the King's permission. The daughter of the Earl of Dunmore would turn from an 18th century socialite into a 19th century social pariah, her children declared illegitimate, and her family scorned. It was the worst miscalculation of the Prince's life, but while he eventually found redemption, Augusta's destiny changed beyond anything she could imagine. Julia Abel Smith uses material from the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle and the Dunmore family papers to create a dramatic biography set in the reigns of King George III and IV against the background of the American and French Revolutions. With family trees and 16 pages of b/w illus.

Daily Telegraph Book of the Year, this atmospheric thriller introduces a Scandi-noir Tuva Moodyson Mystery. Eyes missing, two bodies lie deep in the forest near a remote Swedish town. Tuva Moodyson, a deaf reporter on a small-time local paper, is looking for the story that could make her career. Can she outwit the killer before she becomes the final victim? She would like to think so, but first she must face her demons and venture far into the deep dark woods if she wants to stand any chance of getting the hell out of small-time Gavrik. Five villagers, 600 square kilometres of Swedish forest. One reporter. Two bodies... A novel loaded with atmosphere, the tension is unrelenting right from the highly tense opening when Tuva comes face to face (or truck to face) with a charging stag; there is an ominous feeling of dread seeping from every page. Written by a British graduate who lives in Sweden who must have seen the troll sculptures he includes in his book. Stickered, 339pp, paperback.

The longest street name in Britain is Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive in the New Forest. The shortest is Rye in Puriton in Somerset. There are some 800,000 streets in England, Scotland and Wales that have a name, along with several thousand more in Northern Ireland ranging from Aachen Way in Halifax to Zurich Gardens in Bramhall in Stockport. There are more than 5,400 High Streets, but there is only one Christmas Pie Avenue. There are thousands of Roads, and Closes, but very few Vennels and Boulevards. Some state the obvious - Station Approach or River View and some are more obscure like Gillygate or Titty Ho. There are important Roman roads like Ermine Street from London to York, Watling Street from Dover to Chester, Stane Street from London to Chichester, and Dere Street from London to Cirencester. With a history from Saxon times onwards, the Circus in Bath to Piccadilly Circus, crescents and squares, quays and mews, Holborn Viaduct, here are the Latin derivations, the steps and the follies, twittens and drangways, gates and hills - natural features, trades and traders, battles, war heroes and political figures, royal connections, noble land owning families, builders and developers, local worthies, artists and entertainers, writers and sportsmen and the unique, unusual and unfortunate names like Ugly Lane, Upper Butts or Uranus Road. Eminently browseworthy, with gazetteer, 225pp.

Author of 'The Little Paris Bookshop' Nina George found this novel 'enchanting'. It is heart-breaking and touching, an international bestseller, translated from the German. Julien Azoulay is famous around the world for his bestselling romance novels, but last year his beloved wife Hélène died, leaving him to raise their young son alone. Since then, Julien seems to have lost his belief in love, and with it his ability to write. Luckily, Hélène was clever and before she died she made Julien promise to write her one letter for each year of her life. Now, in the famous cemetery in Paris, Julien stands with his painful first letter in his hand. Here, even though Julien wouldn't believe it, something wonderful is going to happen. Amongst the narrow, cobbled streets of Montmartre, Julien will discover the truth we all hope to find - that love is real, that miracles can happen and, most of all, that if you can be brave enough it's never too late to rediscover your dreams. The author studied romance, languages and literature at the Sorbonne, worked in a bookshop on the Rive Gauche in Paris, and in his love letter to the city believes in the healing power of the written word. A charming read for every bibliophile and Francophile, the book has beaucoup de charme. 260pp, paperback.