Sixty years ago four men parachuted onto a Norwegian glacier carrying only the most basic equipment. Their mission was to prevent the Nazi regime from building an atomic bomb. Now wilderness expert Ray Mears tells the true story of this gruelling campaign showing how these men's ability to survive in extreme conditions influenced the outcome of the Second World War. The Telemark campaign was an example of the bravery & skill of the SOE trainees. The Norwegians transformed a military disaster into a triumph. This book tells the full story for the first time. ...

The Civil War is shrouded in legend & mythology
- but this new entry in the Real History" series provides a clear fresh view
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First published in 1997 this timely release offers a comprehensive & engaging account of the life & times of this great naval Admiral. Ever since C.S. Forester's fictional hero Horatio Hornblower began to delight & enthral readers there has been speculation as to whether his adventures were based on the career of a real naval officer. Several names were suggested; the general conclusion was that Hornblower was a composite character. However while researching the campaign that resulted in the burning of Washington's public buildings Bryan Perret consulted Forester's Naval War of 1812 & was surprised to discover that the author had been deliberately reticent regarding a Captain James Alexander Gordon RN who had led his squadron up the Potomac. Further inspection of naval records revealed a startling number of parallels between the careers of Gordon & Hornblower. Subsequent research spanning a period of ten years uncovered yet more similarities
- too many in fact to be a matter of simple coincidence. It became apparent that while Forester certainly included other episodes in the Hornblower cycle he was aware of Gordon when the first of his books were written & that when he decided to expand the series he chose Gordon's career as the framework on which his hero's life would be based. As a professional author it was neither surprising that he should conceal the fact nor that he should choose Gordon as his model. Gordon had entered the Royal Navy as a semi-literate eleven-year-old & rose to become Admiral of the Fleet. He took part in major sea battles frigate actions single-ship duels & operations far behind enemy lines. It was the fire of his ships directed against Fort Mc Henry Baltimore that inspired the National Anthem. He was the last Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich & when he died having served for more than seventy five years in the Navy The Times commented that he was' the last of Nelson's captains'. That he should have attracted Forster's attention is not therefore surprising. In telling the largely unknown story of Admiral Gordon's active service career Bryan Perrett has produced a book that will be appreciated by the thousands of readers who have enjoyed the adventures of Horatio Hornblower & his successors. It will also be welcomed by anyone with an interest in the naval warfare of the Napoleonic era while those who take pleasure in biography will find that they have the added bonus of an absorbing literary & historical detective story.
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There are so many myths about the extraordinary presence & political life of Margaret Thatcher but what was it really like to work for her? In this remarkable collection Gillian Shephard
- who herself served as a minister under Margaret Thatcher
- has brought together a group of contributors with experience of working with the Iron Lady at all sorts of levels: members of her Cabinets such as Douglas Hurd & Tom King; other MPs & peers; & people who had worked for her at Conservative Central Office or in her constituency or behind the scenes at 10 Downing Street. The result is a revealing record of the way that Britain's only female Prime Minister approached her job
- her thoroughness her extraordinary capacity for hard work her rare ability to combine attention to detail with a grasp of strategic issues. There are plenty of clashes
- some with the contributor in the direct firing line others observed from a safe distance
- but there are also many acts of kindness & thoughtfulness toward the people with whom she worked. A unique insight into the working life of the real Iron Lady.




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After qualifying as a vet in 1939 Alf Wight aka James Herriot moved to a veterinary practice in Thirsk. He was over fifty when his first book of stories about life as a Yorkshire vet was published giving birth to some of Yorkshires most famous & much-loved literary characters. Although he brought fame & fortune to himself & those around him Alf Wight remained an intensely private person respected & trusted by those whose animals he cared for & adored by millions of fans. This illuminating biography reveals the real man behind the title The Worlds Most Famous Vet. ...

As Britain's highest paid female singing star of the 1960s Kathy Kirby enjoyed a showbusiness lifestyle with all the trappings of success
- a home in Mayfair minks diamonds & champagne on tap. In this explosive new book Mark Willerton has attempted to strip away the facade of fame to reveal the 'real' Kathy Kirby...the girl behind the lip-gloss. Here at last is the truth behind the headlines; a compelling account of Kathy's enigmatic life & career which has never been told so frankly. The author was a friend of the star for almost thirty years & alongside his own recollections he has drawn on commentary by Kathy's friends neighbours contemporaries song-writers & managers. Part biography & part memoir there are many exclusives within the book; rare & previously unseen photos taken by the author during Kathy's reclusive years. Kathy was a complex character beautiful glamorous & hugely talented
- but flawed by debilitating mental illness & an addictive personality. Her story reveals the other side of showbusiness
- what happens when a star fades & falls to earth.


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Katie Lavender has always thought she was pretty unshockable until a year after her mother's death she receives a letter from a solicitor telling her that the man she thought was her father in fact wasn't. Her real father a man named Stirling Nightingale has for years been building a trust fund for her. & now she's of an age to collect it. But Katie's not interested in the money. She wants to know about the man instead. So decides to do some snooping. She tracks him down to a beautiful riverside home on the night he's hosting a birthday party for his 90-year-old mother. & as she's hovering outside Katie is mistaken for a replacement waitress
- an opportunity just too good to miss. & so Katie discovers that the Nightingales are far from your normal family.. . But what makes a normal family anyway?
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Does an exciting weekend for you mean scrubbing all the grouting in your bathroom with a toothbrush? Have you ever felt the urge to kidnap the cable guy & tie him to the bed like Kathy Bates in Misery" because you are terrified the TV will stop working once hes gone? Do you ponder marrying the Albanian builder who has just fitted alcove shelving because hes brought you more happiness in three days than your useless ex-boyfriend brought you in three years? Are you engaged in endless rows with call centre staff called Keeley who hang up on you because you are shouting & hysterical? Are you convinced the entire world is engaged in a conspiracy to drive you insane especially the automated phone system that generates ten text messages whenever you try to book a minicab? Do you write to-do lists that need paginating & include items such as re-mortgage house get pregnant climb Kilimanjaro? Welcome to Melissa Kites life. If you answered yes to three or more of these questions clearly you too are a desperate single woman trying to survive in the modern world. If not congratulations: you will have a good laugh reading this book." ...

Spurred on by admiration for his novelist half-brother & irritation at the biography written about him by Mr Goodman (his slapdash & very misleading book) the narrator V sets out to record Sebastian Knights life as he understands it. But buried amid the extensive"ing digressions seeming explanations & digs Sebastians erratic & troubled persona remains as elusive as ever. Nabokovs first novel written in English The Real Life of Sebastian Knight" is a nuanced enigmatic potrayal of the conflict between the real & the unreal & the futile quest for human truth." ...

In the world of the late-Victorian & Edwardian country house the mistress & her daughters had many social duties & responsibilities to carry out both in their home community & in London where they spent the Season & where the girls officially entered Society by being presented at Court. Pamela Horns book examines the lives of these real Downton Abbey ladies from their childhood & marriage to their role as a Lady Bountiful. It covers their leisure pursuits sporting activities country-house weekends & much more besides up to the life-transforming years of the First World War. ...