Peter Somerville's Books

HMS Royal Sovereign and Her Sister Ships

By: Peter C. Smith

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HMS Royal Sovereign and Her Sister Ships

By: Peter C. Smith

This is the wartime history of the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign, along with the story of her four sister ships HMS Revenge, HMS Resolution, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Ramillies. These ships were built and launched during World War I and although old and slow, and bitterly criticised by Churchill and others as being "Coffin Ships", the Royal Sovereign class battleships in fact played a valiant and doughty role in World War II. The Royal Oak was an early loss, thanks mainly to pre-war Government parsimony, the other four ships played a full part, at Norway, bombarding the German invasion fleet in the Channel; escorting North Atlantic convoys; in the Mediterranean, in the Indian Ocean, the occupation of Madagascar and at Normandy and the South of France invasions. HMS Royal Sovereign herself, was handed over to the Soviet Union for several years and her service there is also detailed along with their final demise post-war. Many original eyewitness accounts and photographs enhance the book.

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Page Count

327

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1844681904

ISBN 13

9781844681907

The Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown, 1916–48

By: Peter C. Smith

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The Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown, 1916–48

By: Peter C. Smith

“A successful book, giving a picture of life on a major warship, as well as a different view of some of the main naval actions of the Second World War.” —HistoryOfWar.org This is the story of the Royal Navy battle-cruiser HMS Renown, a famous ship with a long and distinguished operational career. Originally built for the First World War she subsequently served in the post-war fleet and took royalty around the world. Modernized just in time for World War Two, she re-joined the fleet in September, 1939 and for the first two years of the war her speed and heavy gun armament made her one of the most important ships of the fleet. She escorted the famous carrier Ark Royal for most of her illustrious career as flagship of Force “H” in the Mediterranean and took part in many stirring battles and convoy actions. Later she covered Russian convoys in the Arctic before going out to the Indian Ocean where she took part in attacks on Japanese targets in the Indian Ocean. Her final duties included the meeting of King George VI and President Truman in 1945. A host of fresh detail coupled with eyewitness memoirs from former crew members make this an outstanding warship biography. “If you like a thorough, detailed history of a famous, long lived fighting ship, this volume will give you just what you’re looking for. It also provides an insightful look at some of the Royal Navy’s more interesting naval leaders, including Admirals Cunningham and Somerville.” —IPMS/USA

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Page Count

217

Publisher

Pen and Sword

Published Date

ISBN 10

1844687201

ISBN 13

9781844687206

The Great Ships

British Battleships in World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

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The Great Ships

British Battleships in World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

Military historian Smith offers an authoritative study of British battleships in World War II, highlighting stirring episodes of naval combat around the globe.

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Page Count

498

Publisher

Stackpole Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0811735141

ISBN 13

9780811735148

The I.R.A. and Its Enemies

Violence and Community in Cork, 1916-1923

By: Peter Hart

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The I.R.A. and Its Enemies

Violence and Community in Cork, 1916-1923

By: Peter Hart

What is it like to be in the IRA - or at their mercy? This study explores the lives and deaths of the enemies and victims of the County Cork IRA between 1916 and 1923.

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370

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198208065

ISBN 13

9780198208068

The Bold and the Brave

A History of Women in Science and Engineering

By: Monique Frize,Peter R. D. Frize,Nadine Faulkner

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The Bold and the Brave

A History of Women in Science and Engineering

By: Monique Frize,Peter R. D. Frize,Nadine Faulkner

The author introduces the reader to key concepts and debates that contextualize the obstacles women have faced and continue to face in the fields of science and engineering. She focuses on the history of women's education in mathematics and science through the ages, from antiquity to the Enlightenment. While opportunities for women were often purposely limited, she reveals how many women found ways to explore science outside of formal education. The book examines the lives and work of three women - Sophie Germain, Mileva Einstein, and Rosalind Franklin - that provide excellent examples of how women's contributions to science have been dismissed, ignored or stolen outright. She concludes with an in-depth look at women's participation in science and engineering throughout the twentieth century.

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368

Publisher

University of Ottawa Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0776607251

ISBN 13

9780776607252

Fist From the Sky

Japan's Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

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Fist From the Sky

Japan's Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

Fascinating look from the Japanese side at Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway Fully authorized account including contemporary interviews with those that flew with Lt. Cdr. Egusa Lieutenant Commander Takashige Egusa was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy's most skillful and influential dive-bomber pilots. He led an attack force against Pearl Harbor, calmly circling his special flame-red Aichi dive bomber before selecting his target. Assaults on the deadly gun batteries of Wake Island followed, as well as air support for the invasion of Ambon. Badly burned at Midway, Egusa returned to duty, only to be killed on his final mission. As one Japanese officer said, "He was the 'God of Dive-Bombing.'" Fully placed in historical context and backed by a wealth of detail from archives, family records, photographs, and memories of contemporaries, the full story of Egusa's bravery, leadership qualities, and illustrious career comes to life.

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273

Publisher

Stackpole Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1461750989

ISBN 13

9781461750987

A Life of James Boswell

By: Peter Martin

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A Life of James Boswell

By: Peter Martin

Born in Edinburgh, the 'Athens of the North', a Scot who hated living in Scotland and nourished a lifelong love affair with London, Boswell was biographer, journalist, laird, advocate, social lion, incurable rake, lover, life of the party, traveller, steadfast friend, endearing charmer, exhibitionist fool, and drunken sot. In this moving biography, Peter Martin assesses Boswell's literary achievements and uncovers the pulsating and dynamic world he thrived in, from the royal courts and the drawing rooms of fashionable ladies and gentlemen to the fleshpots of London's unsavoury underworld and the chambers of the insane. He also poignantly reveals a man in agony, easily misunderstood, relentlessly plagued by hypochondria or melancholia, buffeted like a straw in the wind by a multitude of anxieties and 'horrible imaginings'."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Page Count

644

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300093128

ISBN 13

9780300093124

Uniforms of World War II

Over 250 Uniforms of Armies, Navies and Air Forces of the World

By: Peter Darman

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Uniforms of World War II

Over 250 Uniforms of Armies, Navies and Air Forces of the World

By: Peter Darman

See hundreds of iconic military uniforms, insignias, and badges worn by armies, navies, and air forces all over the world during the Second World War.

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290

Publisher

Chartwell Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0785833684

ISBN 13

9780785833680

Convergence

The Idea at the Heart of Science

By: Peter Watson

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Convergence

The Idea at the Heart of Science

By: Peter Watson

“Those seeking a grand overview of science’s greatest hits over the past century will find it here” (The Washington Post). Peter Watson’s bold history of science offers a powerful argument—that the many disparate scientific branches are converging on the same truths. Convergence is a history of modern science with an original and significant twist. Various scientific disciplines, despite their very different beginnings, have been coming together over the years, converging and coalescing. Intimate connections have been discovered between physics and chemistry, psychology and biology, genetics and linguistics. In this groundbreaking book, Peter Watson identifies one extraordinary master narrative, capturing how the sciences are slowly resolving into one overwhelming, interlocking story about the universe. Watson begins his narrative in the 1850s, the decade when, he argues, the convergence of the sciences began. The idea of the conservation of energy was introduced in this decade, as was Darwin’s theory of evolution—both of which rocketed the sciences forward and revealed unimagined interconnections and overlaps between disciplines. Decade after decade, the story captures every major scientific advance en route to the present, proceeding like a cosmic detective story, or the world’s most massive code-breaking effort. “Fascinating…Highly recommended…Watson treats biology, chemistry, and physics as entangled plotlines, and readers’ excitement will build as more connections are made” (Library Journal, starred review). Told through the eyes of the scientists themselves, charting each discovery and breakthrough, Convergence is a “massive tour de force” (Publishers Weekly) and a gripping way to learn what we now know about the universe and where our inquiries are heading.

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Page Count

576

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1476754365

ISBN 13

9781476754369

The Lockerbie Bombing

A Father's Search for Justice

By: Jim Swire,Peter Biddulph

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The Lockerbie Bombing

A Father's Search for Justice

By: Jim Swire,Peter Biddulph

A father details his loss, grief, and fight for the truth following his daughter’s death in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. The destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988 was the largest attack on Britain since World War II. 259 passengers and 11 townsfolk of Lockerbie were murdered. Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted of the crime. He maintained his innocence until his death in 2012. Among the passengers was Flora, beloved daughter of Dr Jim Swire. Jim accepted American claims that Libya was responsible, but during the Lockerbie Trial he began to distrust key witnesses and supposed firm evidence. Since then, it has been revealed that the United States paid millions of dollars to two central identification witnesses, and the only forensic evidence central to the prosecution has been discredited. The book takes us along Dr. Swire’s journey as his initial grief and loss becomes a campaign to uncover the truth behind not only a personal tragedy but one of the modern world’s most shocking events. Praise for The Lockerbie Bombing “It is hard to read this book without concluding that Dr Swire is right, and that for reasons that are both understandable and shameful, successive British governments repeated obstructed the investigation and they did so at the instigation of our American allies. . . . This book recounts Swire’s long and painful search for the truth about Lockerbie and his version is persuasive. It is disturbing too because, if he has it right, the Scottish judges who have now three times rejected appeals against the original verdict, have made it hard to have confidence in the integrity of our law.” —The Scotsman “Fascinating, compelling—a book about international intrigue, personal feelings, and ethics. Right at its heart is the search for truth.” —Kate Adie “Lockerbie's heartrending epitaph. . . . A shattering tale of grief and love.” —Daily Mail

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263

Publisher

Birlinn

Published Date

ISBN 10

1788853059

ISBN 13

9781788853057

Uncertainty and Plenitude

Five Contemporary Poets

By: Peter Stitt

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Uncertainty and Plenitude

Five Contemporary Poets

By: Peter Stitt

From the extraordinary diversity of contemporary poetry, Peter Stitt, the distinguished critic and editor of the Gettysburg Review, has chosen in this book to write about five poets only, all premier practitioners—John Ashbery, Stephen Dobyns, Charles Simic, Gerald Stern, and Charles Wright, with a special look at Stanley Kunitz in relation to Wright. Stitt's confident and inventive assessments of these fine poets' work help us gain some focus on the “uncertainty and plenitude” of the current poetry scene, demonstrating that concentrated and knowledgeable criticism can show us ways to begin measuring the accomplishments of our poetic age. Stitt's interest in these five poets is intellectual and aesthetic. As he states, “I chose these particular writers because their work continues to interest me deeply, both intellectually and formally, even after years of familiarity.” He uses his understanding of the philosophical implications inherent in modern physics, as they apply to both content and form, as the basis for his close analysis. Stitt attends to the poets' writerly strategies so that we may discover in their poetry where “surface form” intersects and complements meaning and thus becomes, in John Berryman's terms, “deep form.” He explains what these poets say and how they say it and what relationships lie between. He also shows how humor plays a part in some of their work.

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Page Count

209

Publisher

University of Iowa Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1587292289

ISBN 13

9781587292286

SIGINT

The Secret History of Signals Intelligence in the World Wars

By: Peter Matthews

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SIGINT

The Secret History of Signals Intelligence in the World Wars

By: Peter Matthews

SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE, or SIGINT, is the interception and evaluation of coded enemy messages. From Enigma to Ultra, Purple to Lorenz, Room 40 to Bletchley, SIGINT has been instrumental in both victory and defeat during the First and Second World War.In the First World War, a vast network of signals rapidly expanded across the globe, spawning a new breed of spies and intelligence operatives to code, de-code and analyse thousands of messages. As a result, signallers and cryptographers in the Admiralty’s famous Room 40 paved the way for the code breakers of Bletchley Park in the Second World War. In the ensuing war years the world battled against a web of signals intelligence that gave birth to Enigma and Ultra, and saw agents from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, America and Japan race to outwit each other through infinitely complex codes. For the first time, Peter Matthews reveals the secret history of global signals intelligence during the world wars through original interviews with German interceptors, British code breakers, and US and Russian cryptographers."SIGINT is a fascinating account of what Allied investigators learned postwar about the Nazi equivalent of Bletchley Park. Turns out, 60,000 crptographers, analysts and linguists achieved considerable success in solving intercepted traffic, and even broke the Swiss Enigma! Based on recently declassifed NSA document, this is a great contribution to the literature." THE ST ERMIN'S HOTEL INTELLIGENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2014.

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Page Count

344

Publisher

The History Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0752493019

ISBN 13

9780752493015

The Reaper

By: Peter Lovesey

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The Reaper

By: Peter Lovesey

“If you've never read any of [Lovesey’s] 20-plus books, this wickedly clever, beautifully written story of a murderous clergyman who earns our sympathy while dramatically whittling down his flock should make you an instant convert.”—Chicago Tribune After years spent saving souls, Otis Joy, the rector of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Foxford, Wiltshire, has found a new calling: ending lives. His young French wife? Anaphylactic shock, what a shame. The bishop? Fell into a quarry. Tragic. It’s not Joy’s fault, really—not that he’s concerned about repentance or absolution these days. He just doesn’t want his other little secret—embezzling church funds to finance a fancy yacht—to be discovered. But when the husband of the new church secretary, Rachel Jansen, turns up dead, it isn’t long before the village starts to gossip and the local constable gets involved. As it turns out, God isn’t the only one who’s always watching.

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321

Publisher

Soho Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1569478104

ISBN 13

9781569478103

Modern Crop Protection Compounds

By: Peter Jeschke,Matthias Witschel,Wolfgang Krämer,Ulrich Schirmer

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Modern Crop Protection Compounds

By: Peter Jeschke,Matthias Witschel,Wolfgang Krämer,Ulrich Schirmer

The leading reference on this topic has just gotten better. Building on the success of the previous two editions, all the chapters have been updated to reflect the latest developments in the field, and new chapters have been added on picolinic acids, oxathiapiprolin, flupyradifurone, and other topics. This third edition presents the most important active ingredients of modern agrochemicals, with one volume each for herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. The international team of first-class authors from such renowned crop science companies as Bayer, Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont (now Corteva Agriscience), and BASF, address all crucial aspects from the general chemistry and the mode of action to industrial-scale synthesis, as well as from the development of products and formulations to their application in the field. A comprehensive and invaluable source of timely information for all of those working in modern biology, including genetics, biochemistry and chemistry, and for those in modern crop protection science, whether governmental authorities, researchers in agrochemical companies, scientists at universities, conservationists, or managers in organizations and companies involved in improvements to agricultural production.

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1772

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

3527340890

ISBN 13

9783527340897

Disciples of Antigonish

Catholics in Nova Scotia, 1880–1960

By: Peter Ludlow

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Disciples of Antigonish

Catholics in Nova Scotia, 1880–1960

By: Peter Ludlow

For generations eastern Nova Scotia was one of the most celebrated Roman Catholic constituencies in Canada. Occupying a corner of a small province in a politically marginalized region of the country, the Diocese of Antigonish nevertheless had tremendous influence over the development of Canadian Catholicism. It produced the first Roman Catholic prime minister of Canada, supplied the nation with clergy and women- religious, and organized one of North America’s most successful social movements. Disciples of Antigonish recounts the history of this unique multi-ethnic community as it shifted from the firm ultramontanism of the nineteenth century to a more socially conscious Catholicism after the First World War. Peter Ludlow chronicles the faithful as they built a strong Catholic sub-state, dealing with economic uncertainty, generational outmigration, and labour unrest. As the home of the Antigonish Movement – a network of adult study clubs, cooperatives, and credit unions – the diocese became famous throughout the Catholic world. The influence of “mighty big and strong Antigonish,” as one national figure described the community, reached its zenith in the 1950s. Disciples of Antigonish traces the monumental changes that occurred within the region and the wider church over nearly a century and demonstrates that the Catholic faith in Canada went well beyond Sunday Mass.

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368

Publisher

McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published Date

ISBN 10

0228013127

ISBN 13

9780228013129

The Radical Rising

The Scottish Insurrection of 1820

By: Peter Berresford-Ellis,Peter Berresford Ellis,Seumas Mac A' Ghobhainn

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The Radical Rising

The Scottish Insurrection of 1820

By: Peter Berresford-Ellis,Peter Berresford Ellis,Seumas Mac A' Ghobhainn

The untold story of 19th century Scottish revolutionaries who fought for an independent republic is recounted in this “astonishing book” (Observer, UK). In April of 1820, the last armed uprising on British soil ignited in Glasgow. The attempt to sever the Union and establish a radical Scottish republic ended in executions, imprisonments, transportations and eighty-five trials for high treason. Yet despite its political and social importance, the story of this working-class revolution has all but vanished from the historical record. In The Radical Rising, historians Peter Berresford-Ellis and Seumas Mac a’Ghobhainn restore the radical rising to its rightful place in history. With an incisive analysis of the rising itself and the events which led up to it, this volume vividly recaptures the extraordinary heroism of insurrection leaders John Baird and Andrew Hardie, as well as the savagery with which the movement was crushed by the forces of the British state.

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Page Count

455

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

0857908979

ISBN 13

9780857908971

Guy Named Pete a Crusader and Scarlet Knight

By: Peter P. Zeban

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Guy Named Pete a Crusader and Scarlet Knight

By: Peter P. Zeban

Captures life from day "1" to the present of Pete's life through unique situations. Life that captured through times of love, sexual encounter, sorrow, and happiness, during his life happenings that will excite your imagination. Fond memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

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Page Count

223

Publisher

AuthorHouse

Published Date

ISBN 10

1665540370

ISBN 13

9781665540377

Bletchley Park's Secret Source

Churchill's Wrens and the Y Service in World War II

By: Peter Hore

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Bletchley Park's Secret Source

Churchill's Wrens and the Y Service in World War II

By: Peter Hore

A captivating history of the highly secret group of women who helped win the Second World War. The World War II codebreaking station at Bletchley is well known and its activities documented in detail. Its decryption capabilities were vital to the war effort, significantly aiding Allied victory. But where did the messages being deciphered come from in the first place? This is the extraordinary untold story of the Y-Service, a secret even more closely guarded than Bletchley Park. The Y-Service was the code for the chain of wireless intercept stations around Britain and all over the world. Hundreds of wireless operators, many of them who were civilians, listened to German, Italian and Japanese radio networks and meticulously logged everything they heard. Some messages were then used tactically but most were sent on to Station X—Bletchley Park—where they were deciphered, translated and consolidated to build a comprehensive overview of the enemy’s movements and intentions. Peter Hore delves into the fascinating history of the Y-service, with particular reference to the girls of the Women’s Royal Naval Service: Wrens who escaped from Singapore to Colombo as the war raged, only to be torpedoed in the Atlantic on their way back to Britain; the woman who had a devastatingly true premonition that disaster would strike on her way to Gibraltar; the Australian who went from being captain of the English Women’s Cricket team to a WWII Wren to the head of Abbotleigh girls school in Sydney; how the Y-service helped to hunt the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic, and how it helped to torpedo a Japanese cruiser in the Indian Ocean. Together, these incredible stories build a picture of World War II as it has never been viewed before. “We get to see how the work of individual Wrens helped in such operations as the interception and sinking of the Bismarck, the Slapton Sands disaster, several naval battles (Channel Dash, Matapan, etc.), the ongoing small warship clashes in coastal waters, convoy defense, and more. A good read for anyone interested in the naval side of the war in Europe or in the role of women in military service.” —The NYMAS Review “Will reward a patient reader with a remarkably intimate view into the lives and times of these hidden heroes.” —Naval Historical Foundation

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Page Count

329

Publisher

Greenhill Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1784385824

ISBN 13

9781784385828

Combat Biplanes of World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

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Combat Biplanes of World War II

By: Peter C. Smith

The era of the combat biplane is usually thought to have been between 1914 and 1938. By the outbreak of World War II, most of the advanced air forces of the world had moved on to monoplane aircraft for their front-line battle forces, both in bomber and fighter capacities. Yet despite this, many biplanes did still survive, both in front-line service and in numerous subsidiary roles, and not just as training machines but as fully operational warplanes. Thus in 1939 the majority of major European powers still retained some, albeit few, biplane aircraft. Sadly, and as an indictment of failed British Government defence policies, it was Great Britain who still had the bulk of such obsolescent combat aircraft, machines like the Gladiator, Swordfish, Walrus, Vildebeeste and Audax for example, while the inferior Albacore, meant to replace the Swordfish, was still yet to enter service!Germany had relegated most of her biplane designs to secondary roles, but they still managed to conduct missions in which biplanes like the He.50, He.51 and Hs.120 excelled. Both France and Italy had biplanes in active service, Mussolini's Regia Aeronautica attaching great importance to the type as a fighter aircraft as late as 1941, while the Soviet Union also retained some machines like the Po-2 in front-line service right through the war and beyond. In addition, a whole range of smaller nations utilised biplanes built for larger combatants in their own air forces. By the time Japan and the United States entered the war two years later, they had mainly rid themselves of biplanes but, even here, a few specialised types lingered on. This book describes a selection of these gallant old warriors of all nations. They represent the author's own personal selection from a surprisingly large range of aircraft that, despite all predictions, fought hard and well in World War II.

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Page Count

401

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1473874254

ISBN 13

9781473874251

The Polymath

A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag

By: Peter Burke

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The Polymath

A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag

By: Peter Burke

The first history of the western polymath, from the fifteenth century to the present day From Leonardo Da Vinci to John Dee and Comenius, from George Eliot to Oliver Sacks and Susan Sontag, polymaths have moved the frontiers of knowledge in countless ways. But history can be unkind to scholars with such encyclopaedic interests. All too often these individuals are remembered for just one part of their valuable achievements. In this engaging, erudite account, renowned cultural historian Peter Burke argues for a more rounded view. Identifying 500 western polymaths, Burke explores their wide-ranging successes and shows how their rise matched a rapid growth of knowledge in the age of the invention of printing, the discovery of the New World and the Scientific Revolution. It is only more recently that the further acceleration of knowledge has led to increased specialisation and to an environment that is less supportive of wide-ranging scholars and scientists. Spanning the Renaissance to the present day, Burke changes our understanding of this remarkable intellectual species.

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352

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300252080

ISBN 13

9780300252088

Footnotes

A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers

By: Peter Fiennes

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Footnotes

A Journey Round Britain in the Company of Great Writers

By: Peter Fiennes

Through past and present, the country and the city, Peter Fiennes takes a literary journey through the British Isles ‘As enjoyable a guide to the relationship of writers to the landscape of Britain as one could hope to read: beautifully written, moving in its reflections, and often very funny.’ Tom Holland ‘The premise of this book is simple, or that is what it seemed when I started.’ Peter Fiennes follows in the footsteps of twelve inspirational writers, bringing modern Britain into focus by peering through the lens of the past. The journey starts in Dorset, shaped by the childhood visions of Enid Blyton, and ends with Charles Dickens on the train that took him to his final resting place in Westminster Abbey. From the wilds of Skye and Snowdon, to a big night out in Birmingham with J. B. Priestley and Beryl Bainbridge, Footnotes is a series of evocative biographies, a lyrical foray into the past, and a quest to understand Britain through the books, journals and diaries of some of our greatest writers. And as Fiennes travels the country, and roams across the centuries, he wonders: ‘Who are we? What do we want? They seemed like good questions to ask, in the company of some of our greatest writers, given these restless times.’ *** A Guardian Travel Book of the Year Shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards ‘Fiennes is a perceptive reader and a good-humoured guide and his book offers a superb commentary on the connections between lesser-known places and writers… Footnotes is a passionate, partisan call for readers to take action before the British countryside may be encountered only between the pages of a book.’ TLS ‘Honing his easy-going and often witty style in this new book, Fiennes takes us on the journeys of famous writers… There’s an infectious enthusiasm and self-deprecating authority to Fiennes’s insights and he’s a most agreeable companion… There will be many nature titles vying for a place on Christmas lists this year… This one should be towards the top’ Guardian ‘Marvellously quotable... Fiennes’ literary journey makes for a provocative and engaging book.’ Financial Times

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337

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1786076306

ISBN 13

9781786076304

Mitsubishi Zero

Japan's Legendary Fighter

By: Peter C Smith

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Mitsubishi Zero

Japan's Legendary Fighter

By: Peter C Smith

The Mitsubishi Zero is one of the great legendary fighter aircraft ever to have graced the skies. Symbolic of the might of Imperial Japan, she represented a peak of developmental prowess in the field of aviation during the early years of the Second World War. Engineered with manoeuvrability in mind, this light-weight, stripped-back aircraft had a performance that left her opponents totally outclassed. The dogfights she engaged in with the Chinese, British, Dutch and American warplanes in the 1941-42 period are the stuff of aviation legend. The Zero fighter had four major assets - agility, long-range, experienced and war-blooded pilots and, most importantly of all, a total inability of the Allies, particularly in the Pacific Theatre of operations, to believe that Japan could produce such a machine. Despite a whole series of eyewitness reports from China, where she had swept the skies clean of all opposition, western minds were closed, and remained so until the brutal facts imposed themselves on their biased mindsets. All aircraft designs are a compromise of course, and the Zero had faults as well as strengths, two of which were to finally doom her; one was her lack of armour protection and the other was the inability of the Japanese to match the overwhelming production strength and innovation of Allied aircraft construction. Even so, she remained a potent threat until the end of the war, not least in her final role, that of a Kamikaze aircraft, in which she created as much havoc on the sea as she had done earlier in the air.??Peter C. Smith takes the reader on a journey from inspired inception to the blazing termination of this unique aircraft, the first Naval fighter to be superior to land-based aircraft. It describes in detail the many victories that punctuated the early days of its operational career as well as the desperate dying days of the Second World War which witnessed her final demise. Smith also lists the preserved Zero aircraft on display today. This is a fast-paced and fascinating history of a fighter aircraft like no other.

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257

Publisher

Pen and Sword

Published Date

ISBN 10

1781593191

ISBN 13

9781781593196

Germanna Road

Three Hundred Year History of Lower Orange County, Virginia, with particular attention to the Alexandria Tract and Lake of the Woods

By: Dr. Peter G. Rainey

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Germanna Road

Three Hundred Year History of Lower Orange County, Virginia, with particular attention to the Alexandria Tract and Lake of the Woods

By: Dr. Peter G. Rainey

This is a history of the land and the landowners along Germanna Road and connecting roads, from the Rapidan River to Wilderness Run. The chapters that follow provide the history of the lower end of Orange County, especially the Alexandria Tract, with particular attention to the land in and around Lake of the Woods. My brother asked me, "Why should I care about the Alexandria Tract?" My simple answer was, "Because we are descendants of Alexander Spotswood." He got me to thinking about what motivates anyone to write and especially to research and record one's findings for posterity. When the English settler came to Virginia, he brought his law and his library. The concept of land boundaries and personal ownership were foreign until then, as was the concept of written records. The land records, journals and family records of the five generations of Spotswoods, their relatives and neighbors that lived on and near the Lake of the Woods area have been preserved, but their story has not previously been written. Similarly, the modern pioneers that came in the late 1960s and later to form the community of Lake of the Woods should have their story preserved. Of all the places within a few hours of Washington, D.C., why pick the Wilderness to develop a large lake recreational community? The answer to this question cannot be found in any published history of Orange County. Why would families sell their home of generations including the family cemetery? The simple answer of “for the right price” is not the only explanation.

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278

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Author House

Published Date

ISBN 10

145203639X

ISBN 13

9781452036397

Skua!

The Royal Navy's Dive-Bomber

By: Peter C. Smith

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Skua!

The Royal Navy's Dive-Bomber

By: Peter C. Smith

The Blackburn Skua was the first monoplane to be designed and built for the Royal Navy in the 1930s. As a result of continued debate, it became a compromise between the Navys desire for a carrier-based dive-bomber and RAFs preference for a fighter. Despite being the first to shoot down a Luftwaffe aircraft in World War II, early operations in Norway found the type woefully inadequate as a fighter.As a dive-bomber, the Royal Navy put the design to good use from the outset of WWII. It was involved with the hunt for the Graff Spee, sunk the major warship Koln, suffered with great loss in an attack on the Scharnhorst, helped to keep the German advance at bay during the Dunkirk evacuation and attacked the French rogue battleship Richelieu in the Mediterranean.This book relates how the final design was created, how the dive-bombing technique was developed and perfected by naval pilots and traces the wartime operational career of the type with many first-hand accounts.

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401

Publisher

Casemate Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1783409711

ISBN 13

9781783409716

Megaliths, Myths and Men

An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology

By: Peter Lancaster Brown

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Megaliths, Myths and Men

An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology

By: Peter Lancaster Brown

Fascinating study of early astronomical knowledge through the interpretation of such ancient monuments as Stonehenge, Carnac, other megalithic sites. Over 140 photos, maps, illustrations. "Fascinating."? Publishers Weekly.

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340

Publisher

Courier Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

0486411451

ISBN 13

9780486411453

Aviation Pioneers of Canada 7-Book Bundle

Brace for Impact / Air Canada / and 5 more

By: Peter Pigott

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Aviation Pioneers of Canada 7-Book Bundle

Brace for Impact / Air Canada / and 5 more

By: Peter Pigott

The Aviation Pioneers of Canada 7-Book Bundle presents the high-flying insight of Peter Pigott, in a special collection chronicling the aviators, aircraft, and drama of over a century of Canadian flight. From the Avro Arrow and the Silver Dart to the adventurers and visionaries who pushed Canadian airways to new heights, Pigott covers it all with his trademark breezy style and incredible historical photographs. Includes Brace for Impact: Air Crashes and Aviation Safety Air Canada: The History Flying Canucks: Famous Canadian Aviators Flying Canucks II On Canadian Wings: A Century of Flight Taming the Skies: A Celebration of Canadian Flight Wings Across Canada: An Illustrated History of Canadian Aviation

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1277

Publisher

Dundurn

Published Date

ISBN 10

1459737229

ISBN 13

9781459737228

Father & Son

By: Peter Maas

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Father & Son

By: Peter Maas

From the author of the bestsellers "The Terrible Hours" and "Underboss" comes this fan favorite, unavailable since 1999. Maas tells an explosive story of the relationship between a father and son that stretches from the horrors of Northern Ireland to the savage streets of New York City. Soon to be a made-for-television film airing on NBC. (May)

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420

Publisher

Harper Collins

Published Date

ISBN 10

0061000205

ISBN 13

9780061000201

Book's by Peter Somerville

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