From the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Biography Award & the Marsh Biography Award John Guy comes Thomas Becket" a lively & enlightening new study that brings a colossal figure of British history vividly to life. Behind the legend there was a man. In 1120 the wife of a Norman drapers merchant gave birth to a baby boy in Londons bustling Cheapside. Despite his sickly constitution middle-class background & unremarkable abilities he rose within the space of thirty-five years to become the most powerful man in the kingdom second only to Henry II himself. At his height he led seven hundred knights into battle brokered peace between nations held the ear of the Pope & brought one of the strongest rulers in Christendom to his knees. & within three years of his bloody assassination he was a saint whose cult had spread the length & breadth of Europe & a legend who remains as controversial & compelling today as he was during his life. The story of " Thomas Becket" is the story of an enigma as well as of one of the most tumultuous periods in English history. Drawing on a vast array of contemporary records personal letters & first-hand accounts John Guy has reconstructed a psychologically compelling stunningly nuanced & utterly convincing account of this most remarkable man the dramatic times in which he lived & the pivotal role he played in his nations history. " Lively effortlessly readable superb. A triumph". (" The Times"). " Suspenseful meticulously researched.. .however well you think you know the story it is well worth the read". (" Financial Times"). " Wonderfully moving & subtle. Reading of the assassination is almost unbearably intense & brings tears to ones eye". (" Daily Express"). " Compelling marvellously measured entertainingly astute & in places positively moving". (" The Independent"). "A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history.. .not only corrects many historical errors & uncertainties but merits reading more than once for the sheer joy of its superb storytelling". (" The Times"). " Scintillates with energetic scene-setting giving us a tactile visual feel for early medieval England.. .breathes new life into an oft-told tale". (" Financial Times"). " Vivid & extremely readable. The most accessible " Life of Thomas Becket" to be published in recent years". (" The Times"). " Literary Supplement" John Guy is an award-winning historian accomplished broadcaster & a Fellow of Clare College Cambridge. His previous books include " My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots" winner of the 2004 Whitbread Biography Award & the Marsh Biography Award the highly acclaimed dual biography "A Daughters Love: Thomas & Margaret More" & a history " Tudor England" which has sold over 250 000 copies worldwide." ...

From the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Biography Award & the Marsh Biography Award John Guy comes Thomas Becket a lively & enlightening new book that brings a colossal figure of British history vividly to life. This is the man not the legend... Thomas Becket lived at the centre of medieval Engl&. Son of a draper's merchant he was befriended & favoured by Henry II & quickly ascended the rungs of power & privilege. He led 700 knights into battle brokered peace between warring states & advised King & Pope. Yet he lost it all defying his closest friend & King resulting in his own bloody murder & the birth of a legend. In John Guy's masterful account the life death & times of Thomas Becket come splendidly alive. Lively effortlessly readable superb. A triumph". (The Times). " Suspenseful meticulously researched.. .however well you think you know the story it is well worth the read". (Financial Times). " Wonderfully moving & subtle. Reading of the assassination is almost unbearably intense & brings tears to one's eye". (Daily Express). " Compelling marvellously measured entertainingly astute & in places positively moving". (The Independent). "A beautifully layered portrait of one of the most complex characters in English history.. .not only corrects many historical errors & uncertainties but merits reading more than once for the sheer joy of its superb storytelling". (The Times). " Scintillates with energetic scene-setting giving us a tactile visual feel for early medieval England.. .breathes new life into an oft-told tale". (Financial Times). " Vivid & extremely readable. The most accessible Life of Thomas Becket to be published in recent years". (The Times Literary Supplement). John Guy is an award-winning historian accomplished broadcaster & a Fellow of Clare College Cambridge. His previous books include My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots winner of the 2004 Whitbread Biography Award & the Marsh Biography Award the highly acclaimed dual biography A Daughter's Love: Thomas & Margaret More & a history Tudor England which has sold over 250 000 copies worldwide." ...

The extraordinary life of Thomas Cromwell & the real story of Wolf Hall. Thomas Cromwell chief architect of the English Reformation served as chief minister of Henry VIII from 1531 to 1540 the most tumultuous period in Henrys thirty-seven-year reign. Many of the momentous events of the 1530s are attributed to Cromwells agency the Reformation the dissolution of the monasteries & the fall of Henrys second wife the bewitching Anne Boleyn. Cromwell has been the subject of close & continuous attention for the last half century with positive appraisal of his work & achievements by historians this new biography shows the true face of a Machiavellian Tudor statesmans of no equal.

Includes:: 50 illustrations 40 in colour.

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The son of a brewer Cromwell rose from obscurity to become Earl of Essex Vice-Regent & High Chamberlain of England Keep of the Privy Seal & Chancellor of the Exchequer. He manoeuvred his way to the top by intrigue bribery & sheer force of personality in a court dominated by the malevolent King Henry. Cromwell pursued the interests of the king with single-minded energy & little subtlety. Tasked with engineering the judicial murder of Anne Boleyn when she had worn out her welcome in the royal chamber he tortured her servants & relations then organised a show trial of Stalinist efficiency. He orchestrated the greatest act of privatisation in English history: the seizure of the monasteries. Their enormous wealth was used to cement the loyalty of the English nobility & to enrich the crown. Cromwell made himself a fortune too soliciting colossal bribes & binding the noble families to him with easy loans. He came home from court literally weighed down with gold. ...

From outstanding new graduate talent Thomas Flintham this is a puzzle book with a difference. Beautifully rendered black-&-white intricate mazes will keep children absorbed for hours on end. Children can find their way through the fur of a great big bear help squirrels reach nuts at the top of a tall tree & aid a knight in his quest for the castle. Every child will find themselves delighted to discover the world of Super Amazing Mazes. ...

Paradox ruled Thomas Hardys life. His birth was almost his death; he became one of the great Victorian novelists & reinvented himself as one of the twentieth-centurys greatest poets; he was an unhappy husband but a desolate widower; he wrote bitter attacks on the English class system yet prized the friendship of aristocrats. In the hands of Claire Tomalin Thomas Hardy the novelist poet neglectful husband & mourning lover all come intensely alive. ...

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was born in Dorset. He left school at sixteen to work as an apprentice for an architect who specialized in church restoration. He made his reputation as a novelist & it wasn't until after the publication of his last novel The Well-beloved in 1897 that he dedicated himself to writing poetry. ...

Packed full of analysis & interpretation historical background discussions & commentaries York Notes will help you get right to the heart of the text youre studying whether its poetry a play or a novel. Youll learn all about the historical context of the piece; find detailed discussions of key passages & characters; learn interesting facts about the text; & discover structures patterns & themes that you may never have known existed. In the Advanced Notes specific sections on critical thinking & advice on how to read critically yourself enable you to engage with the text in new & different ways. Full glossaries self-test questions & suggested reading lists will help you fully prepare for your exam while internet links & references to film TV theatre & the arts combine to fully immerse you in your chosen text. York Notes offer an exciting & accessible key to your text enabling you to develop your ideas & transform your studies! ...

An instant sellout on first publication this volume has been expanded to include Thomas Heatherwicks magnificent Olympic cauldron. Written in close collaboration with the designer himself the book offers a highly personal in-depth & behind-the-scenes look at all aspects of his creative design & manufacturing processes. Each of the more than 140 fully illustrated projects is accompanied by a text explaining in Heatherwicks words the design question it posed & the creative & practical processes used to address it. Projects are organized chronologically & bookended by an introduction setting out the studios philosophy & a reference section. ...

10 Thomas Story Time titles are brought together for the first time in this stunning box set. Young Thomas fans will love reading ...