Babies are born every day but only once or twice in a lifetime a child arrives who will inherit the throne. This summer the nation will be watching as Catherine Duchess of Cambridge delivers our future monarch. There will be predictions expectations & a flurry of media attention around the new parents but apart from the flashing cameras & internet headlines this is nothing new. Royal babies have excited interest since before their births for more than a millennium. When a queen or princess conceived the direction of a dynasty was being defined & the health & survival of the child would shape British history. Amy Licence explores the stories of some of these royal babies & the unusual circumstances of their arrivals from the Normans to the twenty-first century. 1470 saw the arrival of Edward a longed-for son after three daughters born in sanctuary to Edward IV & his beautiful but unpopular wife Elizabeth Wydeville; he was briefly King Edward V at the age of twelve but would disappear from history as the elder of the two Princes in the Tower. In 1511 amid lavish celebrations Catherine Aragon gave birth to the future Henry IX whose survival would perhaps have kept Henry from having six wives; alas he was to die after just seven weeks. In 1817 came George the stillborn son of Charlotte Princess of Wales; had she not died as a result of the birth she would have been queen instead of Victoria. This book explores the importance & the circumstances of these & many other arrivals returning many long-forgotten royal babies to the history books. ...

Everyone is thrilled when it's announced that their favourite princess is going to have a baby. Speculation starts immediately. What will the baby be like? Will it be a boy or a girl.. .tall or short? Will it be hairy like the old king? Or sporty & fearless like the knights? The questions go on & on as the Princess grows larger. But soon the Prince & the Princess don't mind anymore. They know that they will love their baby whatever it is like.. . Set in a timeless kingdom this is an irreverently funny & heart-warming story that celebrates the joy & excitement of a new baby. ...

The Royal British Legion was founded in 1921. It is now the countrys leading charity providing financial social & emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the British Armed Forces & their dependants. The RBL is behind the annual Poppy Appeal the highest profile charity appeal in Britain. This superbly illustrated book has the full support of the Royal British Legion & will tell the complete story of its history through exclusive access to its archives thus providing a celebratory as well informative tribute to their work over the past 90 years. It will be the definitive history of this much-loved organisation charting its work with soldiers & ex-servicemen through the stories of its heroes famous as well as unknown during the highest-profile military campaigns of the past 90 years. The book will be divided into nine chapters each representing one decade in the RBLs existence. Each chapter will celebrate one hero per year; 1921 1922 1923 etc. giving an account of that particular person & what they achieved. Within each chapter will be special spreads that emphasise also the social history of the evolution of the RBL as a charity supported with iconic imagery & text. Each one of the heroes from 1921 right through to 2011 has been personally chosen by decorated royal marine & RBL ambassador Lance Corporal Matt Croucher GC. Men such as Major Robert Henry Cain VC (1909-1974) who destroyed six tanks during Operation Market Garden at Arnhem in 1944 & was one of the only officers from his battalion to escape the German encirclement of the British 1st Airborne Division. The book will be published in late autumn to coincide with the 2011 Poppy Appeal which will be the biggest in the Legions history with events running nationwide TV advertising celebrity involvement & a high-profile marketing campaign. Matt Croucher will be involved in the campaign as an ambassador for the RBL. For any serving member of the armed forces or those retired from service or members of the public who are keen to know about this beloved organisation; this will be a fascinating & valued purchase knowing that royalties will be going to the charity themselves. ...

A Royal Christmas is a Christmas pudding of a book full of silver threepenny pieces. Organised thematically it covers such topics as Christmas & conflict in the 20th century Christmas pastimes festive feasts Christmas & the Commonwealth & many more it looks at the many ways in which the Royal Family have celebrated Christmas through the ages. Jeremy Archer has delved into the royal archives to uncover the personal thoughts of many royals during the Christmas period. What comes over most strongly from Queen Victorias journals is the importance of family: the joys they shared the trials they endured & the carefully selected gifts they exchanged. Although there is much happiness tragedy is a common bed-fellow particularly in earlier times. & conflict is seldom very far away. But this is a celebration
- both of an enduring festive season & an extraordinary family.
...

While Europe was buried in the Dark Ages the Maya were producing astonishing sculpture stelae & wall murals as well as building magnificent temples tombs & ball courts. This extraordinary volume pairs the leading Maya scholar & one of the worlds finest photographers of ancient sites to trace the rise & fall of Mayan civilization through its great royal cities. From El Mirador to the cities of the Maya Renaissance & finally to Chichen Itza where the 700-year flowering of the Mayan people came to a halt the riveting history of powerful dynasties political intrigues & a flourishing culture is illuminated through new research & evocative photographs. A new reading of artifacts reliefs murals maps & other archaeological evidence allows Coe to untangle the complex sequence of internecine ritual warfare that fatally weakened the late Maya era. Documented with specially commissioned maps & plans based on the latest research Royal Cities of the Ancient Maya" will be irresistible to everyone from the casual visitor to Pre-Columbian experts." ...

This is the untold story behind one of the most sensational chapters in the history of the House of Windsor. Paul Burrell fought to clear his own name. Now he reveals new truths about Princess Diana
- & presents for the first time as faithful an account of her thoughts as we can ever hope to read. He was the favourite footman who formed a unique relationship with the Queen. He was the butler who the Princess of Wales called 'my rock' & 'the only man I can trust'. He was accused of theft then acquitted following the historic intervention of the monarch. He was the Princess' most intimate confidante
- & is the only person able to separate the myth from the truth of the Diana years. Now at last Paul Burrell cuts through the gossip & the lies & takes us closer to the complex heart of the Royal Family then ever before.

...

The Royal Entomological Society (RES) & Wiley-Blackwell are proud to present this landmark publication celebrating the wonderful diversity of the insects of the British Isles & the work of the RES (founded 1833). This book is the only modern systematic account of all 558 families of British insects covering not just the large & familiar groups that are included in popular books but even the smallest & least known. It is beautifully illustrated throughout in full colour with photographs by experienced wildlife photographers to show the range of diversity both morphological & behavioural among the 24 000 species. All of the 6 000 genera of British insects are listed & indexed along with all the family names & higher groups. There is a summary of the classification biology & economic importance of each family together with further references for detailed identification. All species currently subject to legal protection in the United Kingdom are also listed. The Royal Entomological Society is one of the oldest & most prestigious of its kind in the world. It is the leading organisation for professional entomologists & its main aim has always been the promotion of knowledge about insects. The RES began its famous Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects in 1949 & new works in that series continue to be published. The Royal Entomological Society Book of British Insects has been produced to demonstrate the on-going commitment of the RES to educate & encourage each generation to study these fascinating creatures. This is a key reference work for serious students of entomology & amateur entomologists as well as for professionals who need a comprehensive source of information about the insect groups of the British Isles they may be less familiar with. ...

Dispossessed of crown & kingdom crushed & routed at the grim Battle of Worcester the young Charles II is forced to flee for his life. Out of the heat of battle the outlaw King & his tiny party must journey across Cromwell's England to a Channel port & a ship bound for France & safety. But the King with his love of adventure his irrepressible humour & his unmistakeable looks is no easy man to hide...A typically witty exciting & wonderful tale of historical adventure Royal Escape will please Georgette Heyer fans old & new. ...

Meet Tilly Redbrow who doesn't just love horses
- she lives breathes & dreams them too! There's a special guest at Silver Shoe
...

In Volume II of the Flashman Papers Flashman tangles with femme fatale Lola Montez & the dastardly Otto Von Bismarck in a battle of wits which will decide the destiny of a continent. In this volume of The Flashman Papers Flashman the arch-cad & toady matches his wits his talents for deceit & malice & above all his speed in evasion against the most brilliant European statesman & against the most beauiful & unscrupulous adventuress of the era. From London gaming-halls & English hunting-fields to European dungeons & throne-rooms he is involved in a desperate succession of escapes disguises amours & (when he cannot avoid them) h&-to-hand combats. All the while the destiny of a continent rests on his broad & failing shoulders. ...