LoveReading has teamed up with Audiobooks.com to give you the chance to get 2 free audiobooks when you sign up. Try it for 30 days for free with no strings attached. You can cancel anytime, although we're sure you'll love it. Click the button to find out more:
Find out more
Christopher Lee is a writer, historian and broadcaster, best-known for writing the radio documentary series 'This Sceptred Isle' for the BBC. Lee was the first Quatercentenary Fellow in Contemporary History and Gomes Lecturer in Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He has written nearly 30 books and more than 70 radio plays.
What is Britishness? What makes Americans admire the guts, traditions and loyalties of these island Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples? This volume brings to life the character and frustrations so carefully studied by allies and enemies for twenty-one centuries - from Romans to al-Qaeda. Following the thought-provoking style of the original This Sceptred Isle , this new volume brings to life the character and frustrations so carefully studied by allies and enemies for twenty-one centuries - from Romans to al-Qaeda. Here Lee makes all the connections with institutions and changing industrial and social characteristics that even show us that Britishness is not exclusively British. At a time when a major section of the British, the English, appear to be less and less sure who they are and who they are meant to be, This Sceptred Isle confirms who it is we really are.
One of the country's greatest post-war statesmen Sir John Major Lord Carrington was Margaret Thatcher's Foreign Secretary when the Argentinians invaded the Falklands in 1982. Absent in Israel on the eve of the invasion, he promptly resigned since it was, he said, a point of honour. He is seen by many today as the last of his breed in politics, an honourable man committed to public service. The descendant of a famous banking family, Carrington served as a minister in every Conservative government from Churchill to Thatcher. In this full biography, authorised but not read by the subject, author of This Sceptred Isle Christopher Lee offers a fascinating portrait of a Tory icon whose career is a window into post-war British politics and life as a politician and diplomat. He could be viewed as a typical Tory grandee, yet he disliked the Party, claiming late in his life that he was no longer a member, and could be fiercely independent. And there were recurring oddities in his career. He was forced to offer his resignation to Churchill for bad judgement over the Crichel Down Affair. As Navy Minister he was caught in the glare of a spy ring, and, though Defence Secretary, kept out of the loop of the military operation which culminated in Bloody Sunday. Margaret Thatcher said there was something innately reassuring walking into a room where Carrington stood. Was this a barbed compliment? Did he in fact lack the steel required of a modern politician? He certainly represents a bygone era, as this vivid and expert biography shows.
Between 1858 and 1947, twenty British men ruled millions of some of the most remarkable people of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From the Indian Mutiny to the cruel religious partition of India and the newly formed and named Pakistan, the Viceroy had absolute power, more than the monarch who had sent him. Selected from that exclusive class of English, Scottish and Irish breeding, the aristocracy, the Viceroys were plumed, rode elephants, shot tigers. Even their wives stood when they entered the room. Nevertheless, many of them gave everything for India. The first Viceroy, Canning, exhausted by the Mutiny, buried his wife in Calcutta before he left the subcontinent to die shortly afterwards. The average Viceroy lasted five years and was granted an earldom but rarely a sense of triumph. Did these Viceroys behave as badly as twenty-first century moralists would have us believe? When the Raj was over, the legacy of Empire continued, as the new rulers slipped easily into the offices and styles of the British who had gone. Being 'British' was now a caste. Viceroys is the tale of the British Raj, the last fling of British aristocracy. It is the supreme view of the British in India, portraying the sort of people who went out and the sort of people they were on their return. It is the story of utter power and what men did with it. Moreover, it is also the story of how modern British identity was established and in part the answer to how it was that such a small offshore European island people believed themselves to have the right to sit at the highest institutional tables and judge what was right and unacceptable in other nations and institutions.
Viceroys is the story of the British aristocracy sent to govern India during the reigns of five British monarchs. It is also the story of how the modern British identity was established. British history from the Hundred Years War onwards gives an impression of how the British were seen. It is a misconception or more kindly, a British view. Until the nineteenth century the British did not have an identity readily recognized throughout the world. Even the Elizabethans were never established other than as great individuals. From 1815, an image of Britain as the first superpower was built that would make do until even the twenty first century. Direct rule in the name of a long-lived queen and the consequential superlatives of style and theatre of conquest had the whole world believing that it knew the secret of that British identity. To be white and British even at the lowest social level was enough to command and to be white, British and aristocratic was enough to rule. By the end of Victoria's reign a quarter of the world saluted the authority of the British identity. It took until the second half of the twentieth century for even the Americans to question that authority. The token in that identity, the plumed viceroy whose quarterings linked everyone who held that office to the aristocracy that was the guardian of that image, is not just an illusion. Viceroys is not a chronological biography of each viceroy from Canning to Mountbatten. It is instead, the story of the viceregal caste. It is the supreme view of the British in India, describing the sort of people who went out and the sort of people they were on their return. It is the story of utter power and what men did with it. Viceroys will come to a conclusion as to what created the international identity of the British that was cherished well into the twentieth century. It was and is an identity that has coloured in the worst pictures of the British character and ambition as seen by modern radicalized people and loyalties around the globe. Ironically, it is in part the answer to how was it that such a small offshore European island people believed themselves to have the right to sit at the highest institutional tables and judge what is right and what is unacceptable in other nations and institutions.
The Sceptred Isle provided the definitive radio account of the British nation, from 55BC to the end of the 20th century. Now its attention turns towards the incredibly powerful families which have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1,000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded; it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions.The first volume examines three powerful houses: The Godwines, the north-dwelling Percys and the royalist Despensers.Volume two looks at the Mortimers, the Berkeleys and a triumvirate of warring Irish dysnasties: the Macmurroughs, the Fitzgeralds and the O'Neills.The third volume investigates the Churchills, the Cecils and the Scottish Dalrymples.In the fourth volume the Cavendishes appear, along with the Comptons and the Russells.In the fifth and final volume, the families examined include the Carringtons, the Waldegraves and the Norfolks. There is also a look at the families who today continue the tradition of dynastical power at the highest levels.
The first five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original first five volumes: 55BC-1087: Julius Caesar to William the Conqueror From Britannia under the Romans to the Dark Ages and the invasions of Angles, Saxons, Danes, and Norwegians.1087-1327: The Making of the Nation The Crusades, Welsh and Scottish rebellions and the foundations of the modern state - including Magna Carta and the fledgling English Parliament. 1327-1547 The Black Prince to Henry VIII The Hundred Years' War, the Peasants' Revolt, the Wars of the Roses and the reign of Henry VIII. 1547-1660 Elizabeth I to Cromwell Elizabeth I's long reign; the Civil War, the execution of Charles I and the establishment of Cromwell as Lord Protector. 1660-1702 Restoration and Glorious Revolution The return of Charles II, the Great Plague and Great Fire of London, and a ruler from a different country on the throne: William of Orange. Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Paul Eddington and Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. Duration: 15 hours approx.
Brain'O Man is a COMEDY about a Mixed-Race young adult who parades as a superhero in his town. His belief in his abilities are so sincere and powerful that he is eventually taken seriously, despite his eccentricities. The main characters are Brain'O Man the Superhero, Chudna, the villain, the local Police Minister, as well the main characters' mothers, to a lesser extent. The setting is in South Africa, with terminology ideal for local readers who can identify with the local jargon OR those who wish to familiarize themselves with such. Hyperbole is used often in order to provide over the top humor. In addition, the author pokes playful fun at all races while careful to be politically sensitive. The book also gives a glimpse into the political and social mind-set of the various races in South Africa, from the author's viewpoint. It is also intended that, in this Google age, it will be easy for readers to search up on words or jargon they are not familiar with.
The final five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original volumes 6-10: 1702-1760: The First British EmpireThe reign of George I; Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, and the first rendition of Rule Britannia. 1760-1792: The Age of Revolution The Industrial Revolution begins; America declares independence and France is rocked by social and politicalupheaval. 1792-1815: Nelson, Wellington and Napoleon War in Europe; the introduction of Income Tax; and England is victorious in the Battle of Trafalgar. 1815-1837: Regency and Reform The Prince of Wales becomes George IV; Sir Robert Peel creates the Metropolitan Police and slavery is abolished in the British Empire. 1837-1901: The Age of Victoria Victoria's 64-year reign encompasses huge social changes; Britain expands her empire and the Labour Party is founded. Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. Duration: 14 hours approx.
The final five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original volumes 6-10: 1702-1760: The First British EmpireThe reign of George I; Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, and the first rendition of Rule Britannia. 1760-1792: The Age of Revolution The Industrial Revolution begins; America declares independence and France is rocked by social and politicalupheaval. 1792-1815: Nelson, Wellington and Napoleon War in Europe; the introduction of Income Tax; and England is victorious in the Battle of Trafalgar. 1815-1837: Regency and Reform The Prince of Wales becomes George IV; Sir Robert Peel creates the Metropolitan Police and slavery is abolished in the British Empire. 1837-1901: The Age of Victoria Victoria's 64-year reign encompasses huge social changes; Britain expands her empire and the Labour Party is founded. Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. Duration: 14 hours approx.
The first five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original first five volumes: 55BC-1087: Julius Caesar to William the Conqueror From Britannia under the Romans to the Dark Ages and the invasions of Angles, Saxons, Danes, and Norwegians. 1087-1327: The Making of the Nation The Crusades, Welsh and Scottish rebellions and the foundations of the modern state - including Magna Carta and the fledgling English Parliament. 1327-1547 The Black Prince to Henry VIII The Hundred Years' War, the Peasants' Revolt, the Wars of the Roses and the reign of Henry VIII. 1547-1660 Elizabeth I to Cromwell Elizabeth I's long reign; the Civil War, the execution of Charles I and the establishment of Cromwell as Lord Protector. 1660-1702 Restoration and Glorious Revolution The return of Charles II, the Great Plague and Great Fire of London, and a ruler from a different country on the throne: William of Orange. Narrated by Anna Massey, with extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's A History of the English-speaking Peoples read by Paul Eddington and Peter Jeffrey, this is the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. CD 1 includes a special PDF file featuring the original booklets from each volume. Duration: 15 hours approx.
I was young then. I remember the landing on the beach and the days of my time on the peninsula and returning home from war, the past and the present coming together in my mind over the years. I remember the beauty of the ugly place.Packed into tiny boats, Michael, his brother Dan and their mates think only of what is to come. These young Australians miss home, hate the enemy and are choking in fear.After the surreal panic of that first dawn charge up the Turkish beaches, when nothing is as they were told, they dig in. For the next eight months, each will play his part in the epic battle of Gallipoli.Trying to survive in the lottery of close warfare and watching as the seasons change, Michael comes to wonder whether the men he fights are so different from himself. Wedged in the trenches, soldiers of both sides will be irrevocably changed by two relentless forces - the turning seasons and the grinding machine of war. Even if they survive, what will they become?This powerfully lyrical novel by acclaimed screenwriter Christopher Lee (writer of the TV series Gallipoli) takes us to the heart of the diggers' experience. It brings to life the kind of truth that only fiction can - what it was like to be in those trenches, and how the character of the national transformed when Gallipoli changed these men.
Horatio Nelson is Britain's greatest naval hero; Trafalgar, in 1805, her greatest naval victory. Nelson and Napoleon, first published in 2005, is the story of how Britannia came to rule the waves for more than a hundred years. Christopher Lee re-examines the myths of Trafalgar, plotting Napoleon's overweening ambition to invade England and Nelson's single-minded dedication to seeking glory. He shows how Villeneuve had worked out Nelson's famous plan of attack, and demonstrates how the battle could easily have turned the other way. Lee also paints a vivid picture of the protagonists: particularly of the creation of a national hero in Nelson and his intense rivalry with Napoleon. 'Christopher Lee's vivid and painstaking account cuts through the folklore, replacing it with wonderful insights into early nineteenth-century Britain and Europe.' Daily Express
Finding the right candidate for administrative, professional and faculty positions is one of the most important tasks that any institution or enterprise undertakes. However, few higher education professionals receive training on the search committee process, but are expected to serve on or lead committees. This book provides advice, training, and a step-by-step guide for conducting a rigorous, thorough search. Following the expert model presented in this book will virtually guarantee successful searches. This guide furthermore provides advanced diversity selection techniques that are not commonly found in many resources inside or outside of higher education, and that have become institutional priorities in the context of demographic changes and globalisation that require that higher education serve more diverse populations and compete internationally. This guide covers the complete cycle of hiring, starting with defining the position and forming and briefing the committee, through cultivating a rich and diverse pool of candidates and screening and evaluating candidates, to making the selection, successfully completing the search successfully, and welcoming colleagues to campus. This volume includes over 30 templates that are designed to be copied and used as training handouts or as handy reference and resource materials that provide guidance at various stages of the search process. The over two dozen vignettes included can be used as training case studies or as expert advice that illuminates key concepts that are helpful with improving the quality of the search process.
1603 was the year that Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, died. Her cousin, Robert Carey, immediately rode like a demon to Scotland to take the news to James VI. The cataclysmic time of the Stuart monarchy had come and the son of Mary Queen of Scots left Edinburgh for London to claim his throne as James I of England. Diaries and notes written in 1603 describe how a resurgence of the plague killed nearly 40,000 people. Priests blamed the sins of the people for the pestilence, witches were strangled and burned and plotters strung up on gate tops. But not all was gloom and violence. From a ship's log we learn of the first precious cargoes of pepper arriving from the East Indies after the establishment of a new spice route; Shakespeare was finishing Othello and Ben Jonson wrote furiously to please a nation thirsting for entertainment. 1603 was one of the most important and interesting years in British history. In 1603: The Death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Return of the Black Plague, the Rise of Shakespeare, Piracy, Witchcraft, and the Birth of the Stuart Era, Christopher Lee, acclaimed author of This Sceptred Isle, unfolds its story from first-hand accounts and original documents to mirror the seminal year in which Britain moved from Tudor medievalism towards the wars, republicanism and regicide that lay ahead.
In the late 1950s, an old tramp ship set sail from Amsterdam for the Far East. For nearly two years, she would tramp from port to port, never quite knowing where the next cargo might be or where it would be taken. Grubbing for trade, she sailed a complete circumnavigation of the globe. Aboard her was a young lad from the Kent marshes. He simply wanted to go to sea. Faithfully, in old school notebooks, the lad recorded what he saw, felt and did; moments of magic and moments of fear. Here is the often moving and often hilarious diary of that epic voyage.
The history of Asian American literature reveals the ongoing attempt to work through the fraught relationship between identity politics and literary representation. This relationship is especially evident in literary works which claim that their content represents the socio-historical world. The Semblance of Identityargues that the reframing of the field as a critical, rather than identity-based, project nonetheless continues to rely on the logics of identity. Drawing on the writings of philosopher and literary critic Georg Lukacs, Christopher Lee identifies a persistent composite figure that he calls the idealized critical subject, which provides coherence to oppositional knowledge projects and political practices. He reframes identity as an aesthetic figure that tries to articulate the subjective conditions for knowledge. Harnessing Theodor Adorno's notion of aesthetic semblance, Lee offers an alternative account of identity as a figure akin to modern artwork. Like art, Lee argues, identity provides access to imagined worlds that in turn wage a critique of ongoing histories and realities of racialization. This book assembles a transnational archive of literary texts by Eileen Chang, Frank Chin, Maxine Hong Kingston, Chang-rae Lee, Michael Ondaatje, and Jose Garcia Villa, revealing the intersections of subjectivity and representation, and drawing our attention to their limits.
What is Britishness? What makes Americans admire the guts, traditions and loyalties of these island Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples? This volume brings to life the character and frustrations so carefully studied by allies and enemies for twenty-one centuries - from Romans to al-Qaeda. Following the thought-provoking style of the original This Sceptred Isle , this new volume brings to life the character and frustrations so carefully studied by allies and enemies for twenty-one centuries - from Romans to al-Qaeda. Here Lee makes all the connections with institutions and changing industrial and social characteristics that even show us that Britishness is not exclusively British. At a time when a major section of the British, the English, appear to be less and less sure who they are and who they are meant to be, This Sceptred Isle confirms who it is we really are.
The Killing of Cinderella is the third in Christopher Lee's well-received series of Bath Detective Mysteries starring Inspector James Boswell Hodge Leonard. To Bath for the Christmas panto comes former Bond girl Lynda Elstroem - all curves and blond hair, though these days mostly famous for being famous. And yet she fails to appear for the panto's photo-call. The following morning she does show up, centre-stage, but hanging from the Fairy Godmother's wire. Irritating Lynda might have been... but who would want to kill her? Inspector Leonard has no shortage of people to interview. 'Prince Charming', played by Jason Williams, the ageless balladeer who bought his mum a bungalow with his first gold disc; Maurice Poulson, the director, scathing, cruel and brilliant; Curly Weekes from Saturday morning TV, the first black Buttons Bath has ever seen; Rudi Sharpe and the Rostow twins, the ugliest of Ugly Sisters; and Lynda's first husband, who just happened to be in Bath on the night in question ... 'Christopher Lee brings the actors and agents to life with an eye for detail, realistic dialogue and an intimate knowledge of Bath... Bang up to date, a good read for any crime fans and if you know Bath it's even more absorbing.'Philip Horton, Bath Chronicle.
Five people on a hot summer evening train to Bath: a stout matron, a kilted Scot and his fiancee, a scantily-clad publicist and a drowsy book-reading bachelor. Before the weekend is done, one of them will be dead, killed without motive and without reason. Radiating out from the murder is a web of deception, high-class prostitution, vanity, adultery, ambition and death. Stepping carefully from one lie to another comes Detective Inspector James Boswell Hodge Leonard and his sergeant, the intriguing Madelaine Jack. To Leonard, this is much more than a murder case. For he was the fifth person on that train...
It's easy to underestimate the eccentric, quietly spoken Inspector James Boswell Hodge Leonard, with his bicycle and his tweeds, and his superiors who make the mistake of doing so soon discover he's not too keen on toeing the Establishment line. When the grisly corpse of a traveller is found outside a Roman bath, Leonard's orders are to clear up the mess with no fuss, but he begins to kick over Bath's social dustbins and out tumbles decades of secrets and suspects, not smelling too sweetly... The rich and sadistic Montague James, controller of people's lives; Hilary, the former adult film star; Norma, the painter of controversial nudes; they all know more than they are revealing. Leonard's problem is to find the one person who knows the truth - before the rest do, and before the powers that be put the lids back on those dustbins...
As this final part of the story of the British Empire begins, the Empire is at its peak. It would continue to grow, but the self-confidence, the success, and the sheer splendour of the Empire in the late nineteenth century would never be equalled. The basis of the Empire's success was always commercial, and it was during this period that other great world powers - Germany, Japan, and, most of all, the USA - began to compete and dominate. And the commercial success of the colonies themselves would lead most of them to seek to run their affairs independently of the government in London. It's often said that Britain is the only imperial power in history to have given up its empire voluntarily. Nevertheless, this was often a painful process, and one that was not always managed effectively or without dreadful violence. Here are the passionate stories of Ireland, of General Gordon at Khartoum, of young Winston Churchill at the battle of Omdurman, of the follies and shame of two Boer Wars, of Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the worldwide grief at her death. Here, too, are accounts of the Empire's role in two World Wars, of the sowing of the seeds of modern-day confusion in Iraq, and finally of Gandhi and Jinnah, and India's painful and difficult path towards independence in 1947, after which the Empire almost miraculously transformed itself into the present-day Commonwealth.
This is volume 2 of the eagerly-awaited follow-up to Christopher Lee's highly-acclaimed and award-winning BBC Radio 4 series. BBC Radio 4's monumental history of Britain picks up the story of the British Empire at the point where the American colonies have become the United States of America with their triumph over General Cornwallis and the British army at Yorktown in 1781. These are the years when British influence grew steadily around the globe, years when Britain took full advantage of the technical advances of its industrial revolution until it could be truly said that its Empire was one on which the sun never set. Here are the origins of the modern nations of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and of the ways in which British influence has affected - for better or for worse - nations such as India, Sri Lanka, and China. Here are the stories - not always happy and glorious - of Captain James Cook, Mungo Park, Warren Hastings, Sir Stamford Raffles and David Livingstone. This part of the story culminates in Queen Victoria being proclaimed Empress of India in 1876, the central symbol of some of the most potent imperial imagery. But just as the Empire itself was built not as the result of any grand plan, so the seeds of its twentieth century move towards independence from Britain were simultaneously and unwittingly being sown.
Continuing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the story of Britain, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Christopher Lee's history of Britain, 'This Sceptred Isle', provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century' continues the story, taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement in a diverse and colourful country on the brink of a new millennium. Volume 1, covering the years 1901-1919, looks at the impact of the death of Queen Victoria, the growth of the Suffragette Movement, changes in the capital, such as the introduction of the first motor buses and, of course, the far-reaching consequences of the First World War. Narrated by Anna Massey with Robert Powell, 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century', is an authoritative, vivid and compelling account of one of the most exciting and fast-moving periods in Britain's history.Due to the age of these recordings, sound quality may vary.
Continuing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the story of Britain, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Christopher Lee's history of Britain, 'This Sceptred Isle', provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century' continues the story, taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement in a diverse and colourful country on the brink of a new millennium. Volume 3, covering the years 1939-1959, takes a global perspective. Following the horrors of the Second World War, culminating in the horrific bombing of Hiroshima and the onset of the Cold war, came the beginnings of popular culture: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and the Mini. Narrated by Anna Massey with Robert Powell, 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century', is an authoritative, vivid and compelling account of one of the most exciting and fast-moving periodds in Britain's history.
This is volume 1 of the eagerly-awaited follow-up to Christopher Lee's highly-acclaimed and award-winning BBC Radio 4 series. The original ground-breaking series of 'This Sceptred Isle' was a compelling, continuous narrative, from the arrival of the Romans to the end of the twentieth century. This new series explains how Britain, through trading in such commodities as sugar, spice - and slaves - built the biggest empire the world had ever known. At one time a quarter of the global land mass was under British rule: so whatever the day, whatever the hour, the sun never set on the Empire. Christopher Lee begins Volume 1 with the colonisation of Ireland by Henry II in 1155. Following the growth of Elizabethan exploration with John Cabot, Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, outposts in North America and the West Indies gradually became established and successful, while the East India Company was gaining an even firmer foothold in India. Juliet Stevenson, as narrator, takes us through triumphs and disasters - to the British defeat at Yorktown in 1783 and the independence of the United States of America. Using a range of contemporary documents read by Rob Brydon, Martin Freeman, Mark Heap, Anna Massey and Robert Powell, this is an informative, engaging and fascinating insight into the rise - and eventual fall - of the British Empire.
Based on the award-winning Radio 4 programmes THIS SCEPTRED ISLE tells the fascinating story of British history from Caesar's invasion in 55BC to Queen Victoria's death in 1901. Using extracts from Winston Churchill's A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES plus accounts from contemporary chronicles and diaries, Lee's book focuses on the pivotal events and key characters that have shaped British history. Written in an accessible yet authoritative style. 'Has there ever been a more user-friendly means to the history of Britain' - The Spectator
Anna Massey tells the story of some of the ambitious families who helped shape the history of the British Isles and have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded: it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions. In this first volume, three powerful houses are examined. The Godwines counted amongst their number the Earl of Wessex, who helped make Edward the Confessor king, as well as Harold II who fought the Battle of Hastings. The north-dwelling Percys produced Hotspur, who Shakespeare immortalised; whilst the royalist Despensers won land from the Welsh but were destined for a violent end.
Anna Massey tells the story of some of the ambitious families who helped shape the history of the British Isles and have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded: it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions. In this second volume, Christopher Lee looks at the Mortimers, one of whose number became Edward IV. He relates the story of the Berkeleys, who lent their name to a fashionable London square and in whose castle Edward II was murdered, and finally he chronicles the fortunes of a triumvirate of warring Irish dynasties: the Macmurroughs, the Fitzgeralds and the O'Neills.
Anna Massey tells the story of some of the ambitious families who helped shape the history of the British Isles and have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded: it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions. Of the families examined in this third volume, the Churchills are irrevocably connected with Sir Winston, yet before him came Lord Randolph and the first Duke of Marlborough. The Cecils came to power among the Tudors of the 16th century and continue to influence English public life right up to the present day, whilst the Dalrymples produced some of the most famous legal minds and politicians in Scotland.
The award-winning story of Britain, from the arrival of Julius Caesar in 55BC to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Christopher Lee's history of Britain provides the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. From foreign invasions and war to economic crises and social revolution, this is a compelling journey through centuries of dramatic change. Volume 8 covers the years 1792 to 1815, a time of war all over Europe which created national heroes out of Nelson and Wellington as they battled against Napoleon. Domestically, Pitt the Younger had to cope with an Irish rebellion and a king whose sanity was in serious question. Narrated by Anna Massey, and featuring extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's 'A History of the English-speaking Peoples' read by Peter Jeffrey, 'This Sceptred Isle' is absorbing, informative and essential history.
The award-winning story of Britain, from the arrival of Julius Caesar in 55BC to the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Christopher Lee's history of Britain provides the definitive radio account of the events and personalities that have shaped our nation. From foreign invasions and war to economic crises and social revolution, this is a compelling journey through centuries of dramatic change. Volume 9, covering the years 1815 to 1837, describes a period of prosperity, wit and elegance as well as scandal, change and social ferment. The Duke of Wellington became Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel began the Metropolitan Police and slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Narrated by Anna Massey, and featuring extracts from Sir Winston Churchill's 'A History of the English-speaking Peoples' read by Peter Jeffrey, 'This Sceptred Isle' is absorbing, informative and essential history.
Continuing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the story of Britain, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Christopher Lee's history of Britain, 'This Sceptred Isle', provided the definitive radio account of the nation from the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria. 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century' continues the story, taking us through decades of whirlwind change and technological advancement in a diverse and colourful country on the brink of a new millennium. Volume 5, covering the years 1979-1999, looks at the Thatcher years, the Falklands War and the greatest ever Royal Wedding. Beyond Britain Gorbachev was influencing world affairs and, back in the nation's capital, a dome was being built to celebrate the approaching millennium. Narrated by Anna Massey with Robert Powell, 'This Sceptred Isle: The Twentieth Century', is an authoritative, vivid and compelling account of one of the most exciting and fast-moving periods in Britain's history.
If this is your author page then you can share your Twitter updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out moreIf this is your author page then you can share your Facebook updates with your readers right here on LoveReading
Find out more
