They fought alone

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Don Farr

"Roland Leighton, Edward Brittain, Victor Richardson and Geoffrey Thurlow, the four subjects of this book are, for their social class and generation, not untypical examples of the consequences of the world turned upside down. In the summer of 1914 they were all on the threshold of Oxbridge careers, and looking forward, with greater or lesser enthusiasm, to working lives in one of the professions with the youthful hope that they might break the mould and end up doing something out of the ordinary. Instead, caught up in the patriotic fervours of war fever, all thoughts of university were put to one side by three of them as they applied themselves to getting army commisions so as not to miss out on a war popularly expected to be over by Christmas ... Two of them reached the Front in 1915 ... and the other two in 1916. As junior infantry officers in the conditions of trench warfare, as it had evolved in the early months of the war, their chances of survival were not high"--Introduction.

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[by] Elizabeth Longford

Capaciously documented, this first volume of a two-volume life of the Duke of Wellington places its author, Lady Longford (author also of Queen Victoria) in the front ranks of 20th century military and political biographers. Through family connections with Wellington's inadequate wife, Kitty Pakenham, she has had access to hitherto untapped family records: her knowledge of his campaigns has enabled her to write knowledgeably of his defeats, victories and frustrations, his brutal discipline and his concern for the welfare of men who called him ""Nosey"" and followed him with grudging confidence. Three months older than Napoleon, Arthur Wesley or Wellesley was born in Ireland in 1769, the second--and awkward--son of a noble family. Poor and without apparent talents, he joined the army and in an appallingly mismanaged winter campaign in 1794 against the French learned how not to run an army or fight a war. Ordered to India in 1796, Arthur made money and enemies and achieved fame, now often forgotten, by defeating Tipoo, Sultan of Mysore, and the ""tumultous"" Mahrattas. Returning to England in 1806, he became involved with the notorious Hariette Wilson and made the mistake of marrying his former Irish sweetheart, Kitty Pakenham. Seat to Spain in 1808 when Napoleon prepared his own downfall by putting his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne, Arthur, after six heartbreaking years drove tile French from the Peninsula, for which he was made Duke of Wellington. On Napoleon's escape from exile in Elba in 1815 he was appointed commander of the allied armies in Belgium, meeting and defeating his old enemy at Waterloo on June 16: the author's account of this battle is one of the best parts of tin amazing book. It is at once stirring biography and stimulating social history, dispassionate and sympathetic, and even it' Wellington hasn't quite the instantaneously identifiable appeal of Victoria, still it will he read widely, Implemented by its selection for April by the Book-of-the-Month Club.

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Neil Cossar

"This book offers more than 350 eyewitness accounts from fans who saw him live in concert, from colleagues who played music and worked with him and from friends. From his early shows in Bromley--through the 182-date Ziggy Stardust Tour and the 12 other major tours across the world--this is a unique view of the David Bowie story. It places him in the context of the times he lived through and his place in the lives of those who saw him. The book features a wealth of fascinating stories, memorabilia and photographs that have never been published before--making this book a unique portrait of one of the most influential musicians of this era."--Backcover.

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Frances Osborne

Using letters, diaries, and family legend, Frances Osborne explores the life of Idina, her enigmatic great-grandmother, following her from Edwardian London to the hills of Kenya, where she reigned over the scandalous antics of the 'Happy Valley set'" - Back cover.