The History Press: 2510 books

Original high society notes on how to live well—recipes from Cinnamon Spinach to Pitchcocked Eels, herbal remedies for everything from smallpox to "inhibitions"During the 18th century ladies of high society kept handwritten notes on recipes, remedies, gardening, and household tips...

Fought in January 1879 and immortalized in the film epic Zulu, Rorke's Drift represented one of the most glorious, if subsequently controversial episodes in British military history. For 12 desperate hours, outnumbered by over 25-1, barely 140 British soldiers, based at the remote mission station...

The Zulu War grabs attention in a way that no other of Queen Victoria's "Little Wars" does. It is a story rich in the extremes of human experience: gallantry, cowardice, savagery, hubris, and sheer, stark terror amongst others. The way the campaign unfolded was a consequence of the actions...

Enter A Grim Almanac of York to discover 365 gruesome tales from the city's dark past. From bloody battles, appalling accidents, and extraordinary deaths, there is a tale to surprise even the most hardened reader. Read about a Viking invasion of the city in 866 led by Ivar the Boneless; Richard of...

Rorke's Drift in 1879 is undoubtedly the most famous of Britain's imperial battles. With South Africa becoming a more popular tourist destination, never has there been a better time to visit this iconic battlefield and trace the steps of the red-coated heroes who fought against overwhelming odds,...

Suffragettes learned jiu-jitsu, repelled policemen with their hatpins, burnt down football stadiums and planted bombs. They rented a house near to Holloway Prison and sang rebel anthems to the Suffragettes inside. They barricaded themselves into their homes to repulse tax collectors. They arranged...

Once called the greatest charlatan of his age, the Marquis was a fascinating Victorian 'renaissance man'. Born to an artistic family, he became a renowned poet and adventurer. A crack shot and excellent swordsman, the Marquis fought duels and has a seruies of high-profile love affairs. He joined Garibaldi...

For anyone educated at a grammar school during their heyday in the 1950s and ’60s, those days will always hold a very special place in their memory. They were more than just the years of being taught taught needlecraft or woodwork, acting in the school play and singing the school song, They were...

This tongue-in-cheek miscellany of the most bizarre offenses committed in Britain, the peculiar punishments that have been meted out here through the ages, and a variety of badly bungled crimes, is shocking, absurd, and amusing in equal measure. Also featuring a plethora of acts that are still considered...

In the thirty years following the end of the Second World War Leicester underwent some of the most dramatic changes in its history. Along with the rest of Britain it saw the austerity of the late 1940s and '50s, the shortages and rationing, followed by the boom period of the '60s, when full employment...

It began with a key. One afternoon in 1956, in the home of the Hitchings family in Battersea, south London, a small silver key appeared on Shirley Hitchings’ bed. This seemingly insignificant event heralded the beginning of one of the most terrifying, incredible, and mysterious hauntings in British...

These lively and entertaining folk tales from one of Britain's most ancient counties are vividly retold by local storyteller Tim Laycock. Their origins lost in the oral tradition, these 30 stories from Dorset reflect the wisdom (and eccentricities) of the county and its people. Dorset has a rich...

From 1917, British soldiers who were unfit or too old for front line service were to serve unarmed and within the range of German guns for weeks or even months at a time, undertaking laboring tasks. The vital, yet largely unreported, role played by these brave soldiers was crucial to achieving victory...

A unique look at the development of the Mini—the tiny car that was voted the second most influential car of the century The latest in the highly illustrative Story series offers the fun and fascinating complete story of the Mini, from its 1950s origins to its enduring appeal. This light-hearted...