Edward the Rake

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David Loades

"'Henry VIII' focuses on the fluctuating, often fraught relationship between the king and his court, his Church and his people -- and with the other powers of continental Europe, relations with whom were thrown into turmoil by Henry's successive marriages. It explores Henry's policies and strategies and his manipulation of key players such as Wolsey, Cromwell, Fisher and More, as well as the shaping of his royal image over decades of change. It also probes the intriguing nature of the man behind the monarch, especially his complex religious beliefs that determined the shape of England's reformation. David Loades, an authoritative historian of Tudor England, begins by explaining how historians have treated Henry and the expectations contemporaries had of the Renaissance prince who ascended the throne. He describes the ensuing reign in detail, taking in the wars, law enforcement, the succession question, the court, the rebellions and the problem of Ireland, illustrating the narrative with original National Archives documents and full colour portraits of those involved.The author concludes by considering the ambiguous but still tangible legacy that this most high-profile of monarchs has left us."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Robert B. Shoemaker

"By 1700 London was the largest city in the world, with over 500,000 inhabitants. Very weakly policed, its streets saw regular outbreaks of rioting by a mob easily stirred by economic grievances, politics or religion. If the mob vented its anger more often on property than people, eighteenth-century Londoners frequently came to blows over personal disputes. In a society where men and women were quick to defend their honour, slanging matches easily turned to fisticuffs and slights on honour were avenged in duels. In this world, where the detection and prosecution of crime was the part of the business of the citizen, punishment, whether by the pillory, whipping at a cart's tail or hanging at Tyburn, was public and endorsed by crowds. The London Mob: Violence and Disorder in Eighteenth-Century England draws a fascinating portrait of the public life of the modern world's first great city."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

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Julia Latchem-Smith

Julia's family was a picture of respectability. To the outside world it was middle-class, decent, loving. But her mother didn't love her enough. And her father loved her too much. Between the ages of seven and thirteen Julia's father sexually abused her. While Julia's mother's obsessive domestic tendencies occupied her elsewhere.

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Penny Junor

His childhood was a recipe for disaster, yet as he approaches his thirtieth birthday, William is as well-balanced and sane a man as you could hope to meet. He has an utter determination to do the right thing and to serve his country as his grandmother has so successfully done for the last sixty years. The question is how? Who stopped him going off the rails and turning his back on his duty? Where did the qualities that have so entranced the world come from?--Cover. Prince William has emerged as the people's prince. He has surfaced from a lifetime of scrutiny and speculation as a discerning and charming young man, determined to serve the nation he loves. His wedding to long-term sweetheart Kate Middleton last year was watched by over two billion people around the world.