Amassing over 52 000 miles from Kent to Cornwall here is Keith Widdowsons journey as he raced against time to chronicle the steam locomotives on the Southern Railway before its ultimate transferral to diesels 45 years ago. From sleep deprivation to gung ho drivers this is no ordinary trainspotters diary but a nostalgic & evocative look back to how things really were in those steam days. A must have read for enthusiasts & locals to the closed railways alike this is one mans journey with 130 contemporary images to capture the Railway as it was then fully aware that things were about to change for good (but not necessarily for better). This is the perfect accompaniment to the ever-growing interest in how the railways used to be. It is a personal & informed account that all people with any interest in the Southern Railway or steam in general will no doubt relate to. ...

In the sweltering summer of 1858 the stink of sewage from the polluted Thames was so offensive that it drove Members of Parliament from the chamber of the House of Commons. Sewage generated by a population of over two million Londoners was pouring into the river & was being carried to & fro by the tides. The Times" called the crisis ' The Great Stink'. Parliament had to act
- drastic measures were required to clean the Thames & to improve London's primitive system of sanitation. The great engineer entrusted by Parliament with this enormous task was Sir Joseph Bazalgette & this book is a fascinating account of his life & work. Bazalgette's response to the challenge was to conceive & build the system of intercepting sewers pumping stations & treatment works that serves London to this day. In the process he cleansed the River Thames of the capital's sewage & helped to banish cholera which in the mid-nineteenth century carried off over 40 000 Londoners. But this successful scheme was only one element in Bazalgette's wider contribution to the development of the Victorian capital. He also reclaimed land from the Thames to construct the Victoria Albert & Chelsea Embankments built bridges across the Thames at Putney Battersea & Hammersmith & created many notable new thoroughfares including Charing Cross Road Northumberland Avenue & Shaftesbury Avenue. Stephen Halliday's enthralling social & personal history gives a vivid insight into Bazalgette's achievements & the era in which he worked & lived. The author traces the origins of Bazalgette's family in revolutionary France the confusing sanitation system that he inherited from medieval & Tudor times & his heroic battle with politicians bureaucrats & huge engineering problems to transform the face & health of the world's largest city."
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In the early hours of 16th October 1987 the Great Storm raged relentlessly across south-east Engl&. In Canterbury the author awoke amidst sounds & scenes of chaos & immediately set out to record on film the resultant devastation as the storm gradually died down. Now 25 years on many of these photographs are appearing here in colour for the first time. Accompanied by informative captions & including never before seen views of fallen trees blocked roads damaged buildings & flooding this book reveals the devastation caused in Canterbury by Mother Nature on one destructive night. ...

From ancient times to the present day the story of England has been laced with drama intrigue courage & passion
- a rich & vibrant
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On a Bangalore night in April 2008 cricket & India changed forever. It was the first night of the Indian Premier League
- cricket
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Investigative journalist & former tax-inspector Richard Brooks makes a mockery of government promises to crack" the problem of tax avoidance. Discover why thousands of British state schools & NHS hospitals are owned by shell companies based in offshore tax havens; how " British" companies like Vodafone are designing their own tax laws; & how the taxman turns a blind eye to billions in illegally evaded tax in secret Swiss bank accounts. This ground-breaking expose charts how the UK has become a global tax haven that serves the super wealthy while everyone else picks up the bill. From offshore City bonus schemes to the exploitation of developing countries Brooks unpicks the tangled mess of loopholes that well known multinationals bankers & celebrities use to legally circumvent British tax. Shocking & riveting this is a bold manifesto for a tax system where we all contribute our fair share." ...

When The Great Terror was first published in 1968 it was universally acclaimed as one of the most important books ever written about the Soviet Union. Such was the wealth of new information that began to emerge that a revised edition was published in 1990 giving further depth & breadth to this momentous period. This brand new edition brings us right into the present day by way of a fascinating & informative introduction from the author which explores the reactions to the books initial publication
- including the response from Russia
- & the new information which has subsequently been made available about the Soviet Union. The Great Terror remains an outstanding work of modern history & essential reading for all.

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For centuries trade has been vital to the growth & prosperity of societies. The ancient world saw the expansion of Western Asian Mediterranean & Polynesian civilizations as transport networks for trade were established. These routes were instrumental in founding urban centres & trading ports that became ethnically & culturally diverse hubs of commerce & learning. Later imperial expansion reached far-flung corners of the world bringing all manner of goods to a mass populace. The Great Trade Routes examines the principal trade networks throughout history. Encompassing coastal & trans-oceanic maritime trade inland waterway traffic & overland trade it traces the steps of the pioneering explorers & merchants who pushed into remote regions across the globe. Filled with fascinating historical detail exotic locales & a wealth of illustrations the book analyzes the importance of trade to commercial & cultural exchange focusing on great routes such as the Silk Road the Grand Trunk Via Maris Hanseatic & Mediterranean sea-routes tea & grain races & passages to the New World. From cargoes of semi-precious stones & metals to textiles foodstuffs & luxury goods such as furs silk & spices this fascinating work examines the routes that were established to transport an astounding variety of lucrative goods giving an expansive overview from the pre-classical period to the modern post-industrial age. ...

Time Out Great Train Journeys is a selection of forty of the worlds best train journeys from nostalgic steam lines to state of the art high-speed locomotives. Beautifully illustrated & written with passion it will appeal to dyed-in-the-wool enthusiasts but also reaches out to a new generation of train travellers both actual & armchair. Divided into inspiring sections such as Crossing Continents State of the Art Cultural Experiences Nostalgia & Scenic Spectaculars this book will appeal to people for whom rail journeys reflect the contemporary mood of travel which cherishes the individual the ethical & the characterful
- time well spent above time quickly spent. Trains no longer belong only to trainspotters & Time Out Great Train Journeys is the first train book to have a contemporary quirkily fashionable feel to it.
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GBP2.6 million stolen in 46 minutes prison sentences totalling 378 years 23 criminals countless victims. In the early hours of Thursday 8 August 1963 at Sears Crossing near Cheddington in Buckinghamshire GBP2.6 million (GBP45 million today) in unmarked GBP5 GBP1 & 10 shilling notes was stolen from the Glasgow to London mail train in a violent & daring raid which took forty-six minutes. Quickly dubbed the Crime of the Century it has captured the imagination of the public & the worlds media for fifty years taking its place in British folklore. Ronnie Biggs Bruce Reynolds & Buster Edwards became household names & their accounts have fed the myths & legends of The Great Train Robbery. But what really happened? This definitive account dismantles the myths & strips away the sensational headlines to reveal a flawed darker & more complex story. The crime the police investigation the trial two escapes from high-security prisons & an establishment under siege are all laid bare in astonishing detail for an epic tale of crime & punishment. Fifty years later here is the story set out in full for the first time -- a true-life crime thriller & also a vivid slice of British social history. ...